We are addressing this to:
- The government of Malaysia.
- Ministry of Health (MOH).
- Head of the MOH’s Public Health Programme.
- Head of MOH Environmental Health Officers.
- President of Cuepacs.
- All presidents of the Coalition of Health Inspectors/Assistants/Environmental Health Officers and Public Health Assistant Unions.
We, as Public Health Assistants (Pembantu Kesihatan Awam – PKA) currently serving under the MOH, are writing this open letter to express our profound disappointment, frustration, and sense of betrayal regarding the stagnation of our career progression.
Many of us are proud graduates of the Diploma in Environmental Health from the Ministry of Health Training Institutes (ILKKM).
We embarked on this journey of self-improvement with a clear goal: to elevate our service to the nation by qualifying as Assistant Environmental Health Officers (Penolong Pegawai Kesihatan Persekitaran – PPKP U5).
However, the reality we face today is a stark contrast to the promises of career development.
The Sacrifice For Certification
To obtain this diploma, we sacrificed three years of our lives. We endured the financial strain, the physical toll of study, and the emotional heartache of leaving our families and children behind to reside at training institutes.
We did this believing that the MOH would value upskilling and that our sacrifices would be rewarded with a fair opportunity for promotion by appointment (Kenaikan Pangkat Secara Lantikan).
The Waiting Game And Lost Seniority
Yet, for many of us, the prospect of obtaining that diploma has been gathering dust. There are graduates among us who have been waiting for nearly four years (or maybe more) for an offer of appointment.
Every year that passes is not just a delay; it is a permanent loss of seniority. We are watching our career timelines shrink while our qualifications are ignored.
The Breaking Point: A Slap In The Face
Our frustration has turned to outrage following the recent announcement by the Public Services Commission (SPA). The statistics are a glaring insult to our service and loyalty:
- 71 new permanent appointments were offered to former contract staff (fresh intakes).
- Only two appointments were offered to existing PKA staff for the position of PPKP U5 (one is a graduate from ILKKM Sungai Buloh and another is a graduate from ILKKM Kota Sentosa)
This disproportionate allocation makes us feel completely sidelined and treated like “stepchildren” (dianaktirikan) in our own department.
While we welcome the addition of new blood into the service, it is demoralising to see dedicated, long-serving staff who have proactively upskilled themselves being bypassed in favor of new intakes.
This decision directly robs us of our seniority and creates a fractured hierarchy within the profession.
A Call Out To Our Representatives
We are calling out the silence and lack of seriousness from the bodies entrusted to protect our welfare:
- The MOH and the government for failing to prioritise human capital development among existing support staff.
- The head of the MOH’s Public Health Programme and the head of the MOH’s environmental health officers for not fighting for the career path of your subordinates who have qualified themselves to join your ranks.
- Cuepacs for failing to champion the rights of civil servants who have followed the rules for upskilling but are denied the rewards.
To the Health Inspector Union of Peninsular Malaysia (KIKSM): We feel compelled to address you specifically.
In the past, this Union treated the PKA appointment issue as a critical agenda. Previous committees fought for us, recognising us as vital members of the ecosystem.
However, the current committee seems to have lost this focus entirely. We are your potential members and your future colleagues in Environmental Health, yet we feel neglected.
The current leadership appears to lack the will to care for our welfare, ignoring the potential strength we could bring to the union. This shift in attitude is deeply disappointing.
To All Other Unions (Sabah and Sarawak): To the Kesatuan Inspektor Kesihatan Sarawak, Kesatuan Penolong Pegawai Kesihatan Persekitaran Sabah, and the PKA Unions across Malaysia — your silence is equally deafening. You represent us, yet on this critical issue of career survival, we feel abandoned.
Our Plea
We are not asking for handouts. We are asking for the recognition of the qualifications we earned through ILKKM—the MOH’s own training arm. We are asking for a fair allocation of the PPKP U5 appointments to stop the bleeding of our seniority.
We urge the relevant authorities to rectify this imbalance immediately. Do not let the drive and dedication of your support group wither away due to bureaucratic neglect. We have done our part; it is time for the MOH to do yours.
This letter was written by a group of Public Health Assistants (PKA), who are graduates of Diploma in Environmental Health (ILKKM), awaiting justice and appointment. CodeBlue is providing 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.
