We refer to the social media posts by the #MOGOKDOKTORKONTRAK group telling Malaysians not to go to public health care facilities from 3rd to 5th April because of a planned strike by this group of contract doctors.
We urge this group to call off its plans to go on strike and refrain from any move that may cause worry and anxiety among the public.
A strike will cause major inconveniences for the sick, injured, and the elderly who may be relying on public health care. We wish to remind the doctors’ group of the oath they took to “first do no harm” when they were sworn in as doctors.
Their friends and family who rely on public health care can also be affected if they were to proceed with the strike and so we hope they make the wise decision of not proceeding with the strike.
We also urge the group to immediately stop motivating mass resignations as it can have serious consequences. Not only can it cripple individual departments, but by extension, it can also cause a major crisis in the entire health care system.
Health care delivery can be compromised and may even result in loss of lives.
The MMA takes a serious view of this and hopes the group will not resort to such actions. If anyone plans to resign, it should be done responsibly with proper notice given.
We once again wish to state that the MMA does not condone a strike as a means to pressure the government into resolving the issues of contract doctors.
The MMA has been engaging with the government on these matters and will continue to engage with them on the various issues to bring about the needed improvements to the system.
Dr Muruga Raj Rajathurai is the president of the Malaysian Medical Association.
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