DILI, 08 april 2022 (TATOLI) – Timor-Leste Medical Association (AMTL) called on the Ministry of Health (MoH) to promote the top ten fresh graduate doctors from the National University of Timor-Leste (UNTL).
“You know, many of the graduate doctors from UNTL are currently unemployed and some are working at small and private clinics. Therefore, I call on the Ministry of Health not to abandon the top 10 fresh graduate physicians from UNTL,” the President of AMTL, Andre Monteiro told TATOLI, at his office, in Dili, today.
He said the Ministry of Health (MoH) also needed to hire the top ten new graduate nurses from UNTL.
“We must give them the opportunity to improve themselves by working at the public health facilities. Apart from that, the Ministry of Health also must promote these fresh graduate doctors and nurses by giving them opportunities to further their studies overseas,” Monteiro said.
Monteiro reiterated that many of the best graduate doctors have been abandoned by MoH, saying MoH shouldn’t let the private clinics take away these brilliant doctors.
He suggested that the government, particularly the Ministry of Health, needed to establish a permanent medical scholarship under the Ministry of Health to send the top 10 fresh graduate doctors to pursue their specific clinical specialties abroad.
“Many of the medical schools overseas don’t accept students who are 35 and above. Thus, sending these fresh doctors to further their medical studies at an early age at overseas medical school is a good thing to improve Timor-Leste’s health sector,” said Monteiro.
“Increasing the number of human resources in the health sector, particularly the special doctors, is important to reduce Timor-Leste’s dependency on hiring overseas doctors,” he added.
In 2019, AMTL recorded more than 1.000 Timorese doctors, including specialist doctors. About 20% of these doctors are currently working at private clinics and non-governmental organizations (WHO): “For instance, we have many doctors working for the World Health Organization. And 80% of these doctors are working at the HNGV, referral hospitals of Baucau, Maubisse, and RAEOA, and health care centers and clinics across the country,” he said.
Journalist: Filomeno Martins
Editor: Rafy Belo
