Medical attendants to be stationed in rural clinics

Friday, July 9, 2010
News on thestar.com online

SEPANG: Medical assistants are stationed in all rural clinics for the convenience of patients in the area, said the Minister of health Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai of China. Liow said that improvement of 2,000 rural clinics at the national level, currently run by the community nurses, would be done in stages, but will take time to place an Assistant physician in each one of them.

"Count on medical assistants in rural clinics would mean that patients in the area and would not have to travel far to find treatment for minor such as influenza, fever or cough problems," he said.

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In reading this article I want to know immediately what could be the role and scope of practice for physician assistants in China. The article said that rural clinics are run by the community nurses. Therefore, the article seems to imply that there is no necessarily doctors at all, if not any of the clinics, then, if turn this thought into more, put nurses in charge of medical assistants newly hired there. Interesting and a little different from the role and supervision of medical assistants in United States.

http://Thestar.com.My/News/Story.asp?File = / 2010/7/9/Nation/6635241 & SEC = Nation