In a statement, Dr Munawwar Salim of the Islamic Medical Association of Malaysia (Imam) said the meeting agreed that accidents among healthcare workers, which have occasionally been fatal, should be acknowledged as an increasing problem in the country.
“A collective effort is needed to prevent more losses of doctors’ or other health workers’ lives, who are vital members and contributors to the health of the community,” he said.
“It is envisaged that the various plan of actions would also benefit all members of our Malaysian society who similarly work long after-office hours,” he added.
He said a local study was required to show evidence of correlation between the working hours of doctors and the number of accidents that occurred.
He said it will involve collaboration between various bodies like the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros), the Road Transport Department (JPJ) and medical NGOs.
“It is hoped that together with other evidence it would provide the basis for a revision of current laws and regulations pertaining to safe working hours for doctors,” he said.
Also participating in the meeting were representatives of the Selangor JPJ, Miros, Road Safety Department and the health ministry’s Occupational Health and Safety Unit.
It was also attended by nine associations, including IMAM, Pertubuhan Amal Perubatan Ibnu Sina Malaysia (Papisma), Malaysian Medical Association, Malaysian Integrated Medical Professionals Association, Malaysian Primary Care Network and Medical Practitioners Coalition Association of Malaysia.
The meeting was held in response to the concerns aired by a group of medical NGOs on May 13 regarding the number of medical professionals who have met with accidents when driving after long hours of duty.
The group said Imam and Papisma had published a survey among healthcare professionals on post-call motor-vehicle accidents in 2015.
The survey which involved 440 respondents over 18 hours revealed that more than half of the accidents (54.8%) occurred after the victims had put in 25-36 hours of work. In addition, 64.8% of respondents admitted to suffering from psychological trauma following the accidents.
Dr Munawwar said a campaign would now be carried out to raise awareness about driving safety among medical personnel.
“Among the components of this campaign are defensive driving workshops, talks on road safety, engaging employers about the issue of safe working hours and promoting alternative transportation methods to be used during post-call or after shifts,” he said.
The meeting also recognised the need to engage corporate sectors and the transportation industry.
“The organisers of the meeting were extremely happy that GrabMalaysia joined the meeting and expressed their interest in our efforts towards protecting healthcare workers’ safety on the roads,” he said.
He described the collective effort from the various agencies and organisations to bring about positive changes as “historic”.