KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 14 — Perikatan Nasional has repeated the former Pakatan Harapan administration’s stand that contract health care professionals who fail to get permanent positions in the government can seek private sector jobs.
Health Minister Dr Adham Baba, in his written Dewan Negara reply on September 7, said considerations for permanent appointments for contract doctors, dentists, and pharmacists will be made separately from time to time, taking into account the officer’s fulfillment of the terms of appointment and merits fixed by the evaluation committee.
“Besides permanent appointments given by the Ministry of Health (MOH), officers also have the opportunity to apply for jobs in other government agencies, like public university hospitals, and also in the private sector and companies that need workers with knowledge and expertise in health care, like private medical laboratories and pharmaceutical companies, among others,” Dr Adham told Senator Alan Ling Sie Kiong (DAP).
Ling had asked the minister if the government could guarantee job opportunities for nurses and doctors in the public sector who helped with the coronavirus outbreak after their contract ended.
Dr Adham’s response mirrors his predecessor Dzulkefly Ahmad, who told Bagan Serai MP Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali in Parliament last November (Dr Noor Azmi is now the deputy health minister) that contract medical officers who complete their two-year mandatory service in MOH without getting a permanent appointment can seek work in public university hospitals, the private sector, and health care companies like private medical labs and pharmaceutical corporations.
Dr Adham also told Parliament that a one-year contract was offered to nurses, microbiologists, biomedical officers, science officers, medical assistants, and medical laboratory technologists through various schemes, as an effort to fulfill health care service needs to curb the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The government has approved MOH’s application to offer an extension of contract for six months for medical officers (grade UD41), dental officers (grade UG41), and pharmacy officers (grade UF41), who have completed their compulsory service, to support MOH’s efforts in ensuring continuity of service in health facilities in the country,” Dr Adham added.
The health minister was replying to a question by Ling, who asked the minister to state the duration of contract for nurses and medical officers who were assigned to help MOH in facing the Covid-19 pandemic since the implementation of the Movement Control Order (MCO).
