Page 8 - THE DECADES-LONG QA ODYSSEY Celebrating the 10th National QA Convention 2019

DEPUTY DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF HEALTH

(RESEARCH & TECHNICAL SUPPORT) FOREWORD

YBhg Datuk Dr. Christopher K. C. Lee

This year marks the 10 time that the National Quality Assurance (QA) Convention is being organised by the Ministry of
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Health Malaysia (MOH). In conjunction with this significant and historic moment, the launch of this special coffee table
book is indeed a timely one and seeks to depict the exciting journey of the convention since the Quality Assurance “seed”
was planted in the MOH Malaysia more than three decades ago.

I would like to take this golden opportunity to thank all the quality gurus, “sifus” and champions who have been instrumental
in establishing the building blocks of a quality culture in the MOH and who paved the way for the Continuous Quality
Improvement movement in the MOH. Without their tireless endeavour, our quality improvement programmes would not
have stood strong and flourished like they have today. Thus, we must continue to propagate and nurture their endearing
legacy of Quality, for the betterment of the health of all Malaysians.

I am pleased to note that over 500 Quality Assurance/Quality Improvement (QA/QI) projects had been presented since the
first convention in 2001 but the fact is that not only quantity matters, but quality too. What is even more crucial is the impact
of the QA/QI project to health outcomes - how many of them really made a difference to patient care processes and outcomes.
The sharing and replicating of these commendable efforts to create a “critical mass” is also a vital issue i.e. how many of them
had been replicated, adopted and adapted as well as translated into practice. How do we measure and keep track of their
progress? As the wise often say, “Words are just words, promises are just promises but only action is reality”.

It is also a well-known point of view that quality should be everybody’s business and it thus goes without saying that quality
is a key component of professionalism and should thus be part and parcel of our day-to-day activities; it should not be viewed
as an added burden or separate from our daily tasks. Thus, the involvement of all healthcare providers at each level of care is
crucial and this should be ably supported by the top-level leadership, in order to ensure that quality is embedded in our work
culture.

Allow me to congratulate the members of the team, who had worked tirelessly to produce this coffee table book, which I
sincerely hope will not only be a pleasant trip down memory lane but as we pause to reminisce and reflect on our past and
current achievements, we must DREAM BIG for our future.

“Change is the only constant in the Universe” and being the most “senior” quality improvement initiative in the MOH,
we should not rest on our laurels, but look upon it as a golden opportunity to innovatively think of ways to sustain this
programme, make it constantly relevant as well as bring it to greater heights in the future. As Isaac Newton once said, “If I
could see further, it was because I had stood on the shoulders of giants”!

1 Datuk Dr. Christopher K.C. Lee 2

Deputy Director-General of Health (Research & Technical Support)
Chairperson of the QA Committee