KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 8 — The government’s announcement of a long overdue increase of the on-call allowance for doctors and dentists in public service turns out to be a mere “pilot project”.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim previously announced the increase during the tabling of Budget 2025, saying that medical and dental officers would see on-call allowance rates rise by RM55 to RM65, depending on the service and department, under a targeted work system.
However, Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad has since clarified that the increase – which translates to a rise from RM9.16 to about RM11.50 to RM11.90 per hour for a 24-hour shift – will be tested in selected hospitals and clinics over a pilot period of at least three months before a broader rollout.
“The government, through Budget 2025 on October 18, 2024, has agreed to increase the on-call allowance rate for medical and dental officers by RM55 to RM65. This allowance increase will be implemented in a targeted manner according to specific service areas and departments,” Dzulkefly said in a written Dewan Rakyat reply last Monday to Tanjong Karang MP Dr Zulkafperi Hanapi.
Dr Zulkafperi had asked if the Ministry of Health (MOH) would reassess the active and passive on-call allowances for staff, which are currently considered very low relative to the heavy workload of health care personnel.
“In line with the central agency’s recommendation, the MOH will conduct a pilot project of at least three months involving selected hospital and health clinic facilities.
“The results of this implementation will be submitted to the central agency for consideration of nationwide rollout,” Dzulkefly added, without specifying which departments or facilities would be part of the “pilot project”.
Currently, government doctors receive an allowance of RM220 per shift for weekend active on-call duties. An extra RM55 to RM65, which amounts to RM275 to RM285 for a 24-hour shift, translates to a 25 per cent to 29.5 per cent increase.
The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) previously demanded a 173 per cent raise to RM25 per hour, or RM600 for a 24-hour shift.
