The recent appointment of Dr Ismail Merican as the Health Ministry director-general is welcome news to the Malaysian medical fraternity, both at home and abroad.

Read the report of Ismail's appointment, I am impressed by his crusade to rid the ministry of excesses and red tape. His aim to produce a lean and efficient ministry, as well as for team members to stand up and be counted, though challenging, is timely.

Many times we meet lackadaisical Health Ministry officials like the ones he describes, eating cakes at meetings and going for even more meetings with no results or outcomes to show for them.

I'm glad their days will be numbered in his pending shake-up. The Malay acronym for the Health Ministry - KKM for Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia - could also mean Kementerian Kursus Malaysia (Training Courses, Conferences and Meetings Ministry).

Hopefully, the days of these officials attending conferences and courses of little benefit (they should concentrate on keeping their cardiopulmonary resuscitation skills up-to-date instead) in the name of personal development are ending. In will come clinical governance, re-validations and audits.

Ismail's appointment, although unprecedented (he is retired), is a positive step and will attract many doctors who are undergoing postgraduate training overseas to return home on completion of their training.

Not only doctors, but patients too, will benefit from smart, efficient and motivated hospital administrators and managers.