Hartal Doktor Kontrak (HDK) extends our gratitude to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Cabinet members for scrapping the Waktu Bekerja Berlainan (WBB) system.
By listening to the concerns of doctors and other frontline health care professionals, the government has demonstrated its commitment to making patient safety and staff welfare a priority.
Support for the Special Committee
We fully support the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) decision to establish a special committee chaired by former Health director-general Dr Abu Bakar Suleiman. HDK stands ready to contribute our thoughts and ideas, ensuring that all voices on the ground are heard and that future policies accurately reflect the realities of frontline health care work.
Revisit New SSPA Working Hours
We urge the government to review the newly imposed working hours under the SSPA for nurses, medical assistants, and other health care workers. It is crucial to recognise the difference between shift-based roles in hospitals and office-based civil service positions. Adjusting work hours without addressing workload, stress, and complexity of patient care can exacerbate burnout and compromise service quality.
On-Call Allowance Increase
We call on the government to fast-track the decision on the on-call allowance increase for doctors, as promised in the Budget 2025 announcement. Frontline health workers continue to bear a disproportionate burden, and fair compensation is both an ethical and practical necessity to maintain morale and retain talent within the public sector.
Formation of Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Kesihatan
The urgent establishment of a Health Service Commission (Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Kesihatan), as part of the Pakatan Harapan manifesto, is vital. With growing numbers of health care professionals leaving for better opportunities abroad or in the private sector, we face a health care crisis time bomb. We appeal to all Members of Parliament to offer bipartisan support for this commission to safeguard the long-term sustainability and quality of our nation’s health care system, on which the majority of Malaysians rely.
Hartal Doktor Kontrak remains committed to working alongside the MOH and all relevant stakeholders. We believe that collaborative, transparent, and evidence-based policies will strengthen Malaysia’s health care system, benefiting both providers and the public at large.
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