Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim,
Yang Amat Berhormat Dato’ Seri, we are writing as concerned House Officers (HO) at lpoh General Hospital to bring an urgent matter to your personal attention regarding the non-compliance with public service and medical employment guidelines at the hospital and national level.
The issues: House officers at lpoh General Hospital are currently being denied basic employment rights, including:
1. No compensation (unpaid labour for working on gazetted public holidays and no replacement leave provided): We have been told by hospital management that hoµse officers “tidak layak mendapat cuti ganti” and it’s “tertakluk kepada ketua jabatan”.
Our human resource department also seems not to know anything with regard to federal public holidays and claims that contract staff are ineligible.
When pushed further, they say they deny public holidays and replacement leave for public holidays as there is a need in service, whilst medical officers and specialists enjoy these privileges.
If there is a service need, all hands should be on board. Why don’t house officers get this privilege when all other staff in the hospital are entitled and get it? Are we not government servants too?
2. Mandatory six-day work week, deviating from the official five-day flexi system and housemanship guidelines: Based on our current flexi system, housemen should work five days a week, with two days of rest as per all government servants.
This is clearly stated in our guidelines but is denied here.
3. Denial of required weekend leave during the critical “tagging” phase: Based on our current guidelines, house officers during the tagging period in any department has to work from 7am to 10pm, with weekends as rest days.
This is also denied here; we are given only one day off. This causes massive burnout and severe demotivation of health care workers.
Repeated appeals to the hospital director, heads of department (HODs), and the state health department have not resulted in any change or official response.
This situation represents a systemic disregard for official public service guidelines and labour rights, severely affecting the welfare of junior doctors and potentially compromising patient safety due to overwork.
This issue has been systematically carried from the previous management and government. This is one of the root causes of the lack of health care workers in the government.
We at times feel like we are in North Korea.
We have always been silenced and feel like we don’t have a voice. Medicine is a profession where knowledge is second to intelligence and compassion. These practices oppress growth and development in this field.
How are we supposed to grow when all we want is just to “habis HO”?
We hope this time that we have the support of the Madani administration as we too are Malaysian citizens and at the least deserve our basic rights.
Our plea: We respectfully appeal to our office, in your role as the head of government committed to good governance (tatakelola baik), to direct the Ministry of Health and the relevant agencies to urgently investigate this matter and enforce strict compliance with all official housemanship and public sector employment guidelines at Ipoh General Hospital immediately.
We would also personally invite you to have a visit to our hospital and have a private session with all of the house officers here. We would be honoured and it will at least boost our morale.
We have raised this issue many times with hospital management, HODs, and even to Jabatan Kesihatan Negeri (which advised the hospital that all departments should standardise not giving leave for public holidays and replacement leave).
We have exhausted all means, and this letter is the last cry for help from all of us here.
We would also like to humbly ask clarification of a few issues from the government.
Are contract house officers not government servants and are not eligible for leave allocation and benefits as other government servants?
Why doesn’t the Hospital grant house officers the benefits of public holidays as per other staff? They have informed us that they can’t grant leave for public holidays and replacement leave as there is need in service.
If so, why are medical officers, specialists, consultants, and HODs granted this benefit? For a few years now, all house officers in all departments have not been granted even one day of public holiday or replacement leave (except the emergency and trauma department which now, on advice of Jabatan Kesihatan Negeri, has been forced to remove this privilege).
Are the days that we work on public holidays that have not been given replacement leave eligible for pay?
Are house officers in Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun (HRPB) Ipoh not eligible for benefits that every other Malaysian enjoys?
As per attached are the signatures of Grade U9 house officers from all departments of HRPB Ipoh. We have chosen to omit our names; we have lost faith in the hospital management and state health department.
Thank you for considering this critical matter of governance, human resources, and the welfare of Malaysia’s future medical professionals. We hope this government can be the voice of justice for all doctors in Malaysia.
We humbly request that the people behind this injustice are brought to justice and held answerable and accountable for the betterment of health care in Malaysia.
Perak State Health Department’s Response
When contacted for comment on the HRPB housemen’s complaint, Perak state health director Dr Feisul Idzwan Mustapha told CodeBlue:
“So far, we are complying with the current policies and guidelines. If there were any specific circumstances that we didn’t comply, we would need further info to investigate.”
A copy of this letter on HRPB’s letterhead – with the signatures and chops of 85 U9 house officers (without names) – was mailed to CodeBlue’s office by post. The letter is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of CodeBlue.
