Just over a month ago, Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad made a bold promise. Standing before the media, he assured doctors and health care workers across the country that the long-awaited revision of allowances, particularly the on-call allowance for government doctors, would be finalised by May, or at the very latest, June 2025.
Today, as May draws to a close and June lurks just a few days away, we are still waiting. Still unpaid, unheard, and insulted.
To say that we are disappointed would be a gross understatement. Dzulkefly’s silence now, in the face of his earlier assurances, reeks of political betrayal. But then again, should we be surprised?
He has made a habit of breaking promises—just like every other politician in Malaysia. All talk, no action. Health care workers have long been strung along with sweet words and empty pledges. Enough is enough.
The RM9.16/Hour Disgrace
Let’s talk about what we currently receive: RM9.16 per hour for working on-call, often overnight, for 24 hours straight, attending to critically ill patients, making life-and-death decisions, and bearing the brunt of a broken health care system. This is not a token of appreciation—it is an insult.
To put things into perspective, in Kuala Lumpur, house cleaners charge between RM30 to RM50 per hour. That means our services—despite our years of training, sacrifices, and responsibilities—are worth less than one-third of what someone earns cleaning a house. While every job has dignity, this stark pay disparity shows just how little our country values its doctors.
And no, this is not about greed. This is about basic fairness, dignity, and respect. RM9.16/hour in 2025? That rate should be fossilised and displayed in a museum as a symbol of Malaysia’s neglect and contempt for its health care heroes.
Dr Dzul, We Remember Your Words
Let us remind Dzulkefly of his own words on April 26, 2025: “Paling lewat Jun ini, tapi saya sendiri kalau boleh mahu selesaikan Mei sebab tahu mereka (petugas kesihatan) bekerja dengan kuat.”
Translation: “At the latest by June, but I myself, if possible, want to settle it by May because I know health care workers work hard.”
Yet here we are. No announcement. No update. No raise.
Worse, while government doctors wait for even the smallest increase in their on-call allowance, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has had the audacity to impose a drug price display mandate on private general practitioners, sparking backlash from another corner of the medical field.
Dzulkefly’s actions—or lack thereof—are alienating doctors from both the public and private sectors. His priorities seem misplaced. Instead of uplifting the morale of those who carry the burden of the nation’s health system, he continues to disrespect and devalue them.
Work-Life Balance? A Distant Dream
Beyond the allowance issue, the core of our frustration stems from the complete lack of work-life balance in the medical profession. Doctors in Malaysia, especially in the public sector, endure brutal hours, frequent on-calls, and mounting administrative tasks, often with minimal support and paltry compensation.
If we truly want to retain talent and prevent brain drain, we need more than token allowances. We need a total overhaul of the salary structure for health care workers. Offer us a competitive salary scheme—one that aligns with the private sector. Yes, it will require serious funding. But to those who argue that it’s too expensive, we say this:
Health care is not cheap. And health care workers are not ordinary civil servants.
We are not paper-pushers behind desks. We are not clock-in, clock-out workers. We are the ones you call when a loved one stops breathing, when a child is critically ill, or when the nation faces a pandemic. We deserve more.
A Call For Urgent Reform
This is a call to action—not just to Dzulkefly, but to the entire government machinery. It’s time to stop treating the health care system as an afterthought.
It’s time to invest—not just in buildings, machines, and statistics—but in the people who form the backbone of health care: doctors, nurses, pharmacists, therapists, lab technologists, and every other professional who works tirelessly to save lives.
- Raise the on-call allowance immediately to at least RM25/hour.
- Revise the basic salary scheme to match private sector standards.
- Implement structured work hours and rest periods to ensure sustainable work-life balance.
- Recognise and reward specialist training and long service, especially those in service pathways.
Our Patience Is Running Out
Doctors are not robots. We are human beings with families, dreams, and limits. We have been patient for far too long. But our patience has its breaking point.
If the MOH continues to delay, ignore, and belittle our contributions, it will soon face a wave of dissatisfaction that can no longer be contained.
We are not asking for luxury. We are demanding dignity. The clock is ticking. June is almost here.
The author is a medical officer at a government hospital in the Klang Valley. CodeBlue is giving the author anonymity because civil servants are prohibited from writing to the press.
- This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of CodeBlue.
