Charters
MMA Member's Charter
The Malaysian Medical Association, as a professional body representing the largest number of medical practitioners in the country, pledges the following to its members in good standing:
- To defend and preserve at all times the Constitution of the Malaysian Medical Association in the execution of the legitimate rights, interests and privileges of membership of the Members.
- To uphold the image and credibility of the medical profession in ensuring that the Members provide the highest standard of health care to the people of Malaysia.
- To treat all Members with honesty, sincerity and equality, and to respect their honour and dignity.
- To ensure that the Officers and Staff of the Association will serve the Members without self-interest and without prejudice.
- To ensure that the legitimate professional interests of all Members are safeguarded, and that the Ethical Code of the Association and other related Professional Codes are upheld in all dealings of the Association.
- To uphold the bona fide interests of all Members in all dealings with the government and its related agencies, other professional medical and non-medical and, non-governmental organisations.
- To safeguard and, when necessary, further enhance, the personal interests and benefits of the Members, in all matters of investments, endowments, insurance and other financial undertakings.
- To provide accessibility for Members to all relevant notices and publications of the Association, and opportunities for their Continuing Medical Education.
HIVAIDS Charter
PREAMBLE
- Recognising the imperative necessity for concerted action by all Malaysians to halt the spread of HIV,
- Recognising the paramount importance of HIV / AIDS awareness and knowledge among all sections of the population,
- Recognising that there is (wide-spread) discrimination and prejudice against persons living with HIV / AIDS and their partners, families and caregivers,
- Recognising that the escalating HIV / AIDS epidemic will have an adverse impact on the socio- economic developments of the nation, thus endangering the achievement of Malaysia’s Development Policy as enshrined in Vision 2020,
- Recognising that Doctors including general practitioners / primary care givers, are in a crucial position to provide care and support to those living with HIV / AIDS and to disseminate information amongst the population at large on prevention of infections as well as care and acceptance of those living with HIV / AIDS.
- This Charter sets out the basic framework of shared rights and shared responsibilities incumbent on all members of the medical profession in Malaysia.
RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES OF DOCTORS
- All doctors shall be caring, adequately educated and sensitised to HIV / AIDS issues to enable them to carry out their duties and responsibilities without prejudice and discrimination. This shall form part of the continuing medical education requirements.
- Doctors shall provide caring, adequate, accepted and complete management and treatment to all people living with HIV / AIDS, in primary care and secondary and tertiary care institutions, whether private or public.
- Doctors, in matters relating to carrying out blood or other tests to identify people living with HIV / AIDS, and in their subsequent management, shall adopt a careful sympathetic approach. Adequate pre- and post-test counseling is very important particularly to ensure there is informed consent to testing and test results are communicated appropriately.
- Doctors shall at all times provide guidance, assistance and counseling on HIV / AIDS with emphasis on prevention of infection as well as care and acceptance for those living with HIV / AIDS to all people including but not limited to those seeking such information whether for personal or other reasons.
- Every doctor shall strictly follow universal precautions to protect himself or herself and his or her patients, and shall, whenever possible, ensure that such universal precautions are also observed by his or her fellow healthcare workers for their own protection.
- Patients who are HIV-positive shall be encouraged to inform the attending doctor(s) of their HIV status. Information about a patient’s HIV status shall be restricted to doctors, nurses, trainees and other authorised personnel on a need-to-know basis.
- Doctors shall have the right to a safe working environment. They shall be provided with:
adequate personal protection equipment;
care and support especially counseling and stress management;
compensation / insurance for occupationally acquired disease.
- A doctor who is HIV-positive shall have the right to continue working, subject to approval and regular review by suitably qualified specialists with regard to his or her ability to continue in his or her line of work within his or her profession. However, a doctor who is HIV-positive shall not perform any invasive procedures which may place his or her patient at risk.
- Doctors have the right to have their own HIV status kept confidential.
Patient Charter
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
This Memorandum of Understanding dated 21st August 1995 is between The Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations, The Malaysian Medical Association, The Malaysian Dental Association and The Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society.
The Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (FOMCA) is committed to the protection of consumer rights and to consumer education.
The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) is committed to sustaining the professional standard of medical ethics as to education and directing public opinion on the problems of public health as affecting the community at large.
The Malaysian Dental Association (MDA) is dedicated to supporting and promoting a high standard of ethics and professional conduct and to directing public opinion on dentistry and the problems of dental health.
The Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society (MPS) is committed to further the development of pharmacy, to enhancing the standards and ethics of the profession and to assisting in improving the health services in the country.
Representatives from each of the above organization signed the Memorandum of Understanding:
| 1. Dato’ Dr. R.S. McCoy | President of MMA |
| 2. Encik Mohd Hamdan Adnan | President of FOMCA |
| 3. Dr. A. Ratnanesan | President of MDA |
| 4. Mr. John C.P. Chang | President of MPS |
PREAMBLE TO THE PATIENT’S CHARTER RECOGNISING that the relationship between the provider of health care and a patient is privileged and sacrosanct.
RECOGNISING that the highest traditions of health care mandate mutual trust and respect between the provider of health care and the patient.
RECOGNISING that the meaningful partnership between the provider of health care & a patient requires that the patient participates actively in decisions relating to the patient’s health.
RECOGNISING that a patient must assume not only rights but also responsibilities.
RECOGNISING that this Charter advocates universal ideals and standards of health care, which the government, the providers of healthcare and the public should strive to achieve.
RECOGNISING that this Charter is an educational document embodying the Code of Medical Ethics.
THE PARTIES HERETO ADOPT THIS CHARTER AND CALL UPON ITS OBSERVANCE BY ALL CONCERNED.