KUALA LUMPUR, August 5 — The Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) has publicly criticised the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) decision to temporarily cut maternity leave entitlement from 90 to 60 days for medical officers in public health clinics in Hulu Langat, Selangor.
Cuepacs president Adnan Mat said the MOH’s decision to limit maternity leave to 60 days due to a shortage of medical officers in Hulu Langat “should not have happened” if the ministry had properly managed the mobilisation of health workers from the beginning.
“Legally, this does not violate existing regulations, but from a welfare perspective, we are actually denying workers their rights,” Adnan said in a statement today.
He said that while the Selangor state health department has assured that it will consider any application for additional maternity leave on an individual basis, Cuepacs is concerned about “the element of coercion” against affected public servants.
“This is because approval is subject to service needs and the subjective consideration of department heads,” Adnan said.
Selangor state health director Dr Ummi Kalthom Shamsudin, in a statement last Saturday, justified the restriction of maternity leave to 60 days for medical officers in klinik kesihatan in Hulu Langat, saying seven medical officers took simultaneous maternity leave in several KKs. Some officers who were instructed to report for duty to the Hulu Langat district health office (PKD) also rejected their placements.
“Cuepacs does not want the welfare of health workers to be neglected in ensuring that health services run as usual,” Adnan said. “These workers are human beings who need adequate rest, healthy social activities, and families that also require attention.”
Adnan said efforts to expedite filling vacant positions need to be taken seriously to ensure health workers are not overburdened with overtime to cover the shortage.
He hopes that the MOH can strengthen its mobilisation of health workforce resources to prevent critical shortages in any location.
“We have faced a situation where the spread of Covid-19 nearly crippled the nation’s health facilities. That experience should serve as a lesson for the government to further strengthen the mobilisation of health workforce resources at various levels.”
