The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) is looking forward to an announcement from the government on the new on-call allowance rate for public health care doctors.
We once again thank the government for increasing the salaries of all health care workers; however, it is hoped that similarly, there will be good news concerning the doctors’ on-call allowance.
Doctors in public health care have not seen a revision in their on-call allowance for over a decade. The MMA has engaged with past health ministers, the present health minister, and several ministry officials concerning the matter and proposed that the hourly on-call rate be increased to RM25 from the current RM9.16 per hour.
In February this year, the Ministry of Health (MOH) stated that the new on-call allowance rate would be announced “soon”. Doctors in public health care have been eagerly awaiting this announcement by the ministry.
Increasing the on-call allowance hourly rate will be another crucial step towards recognising the invaluable contributions of our medical professionals who work tirelessly to provide quality health care to the nation.
The revision of on-call allowances is vital for ensuring that doctors in the public health care system are fairly compensated for their hard work and sacrifices.
Adequate remuneration is essential not only for the welfare of our doctors, but also for sustaining morale and motivation within the health care workforce. It is a necessary measure to retain talent and to continue delivering the high standard of care that the Malaysian public deserves.
Dr Azizan Abdul Aziz is president of the Malaysian Medical Association.
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