Perak’s politicians have shown how clearly they can explain their own welfare needs. On September 8, 2026, the Perak state legislative assembly unanimously approved raising the maximum pension rate for members of the state administration and assembly from 50 per cent to 60 per cent of salary.
Menteri Besar Saarani Mohamad supported the change by comparing it with Parliament, Penang and Selangor. But where is the same urgency for patients and doctors?
On the same day, state health executive councillor A Sivanesan said elderly patients arriving early with family members contributed to hospital congestion.
Early arrivals may crowd waiting rooms, but highlighting patients’ behaviour without showing how services will improve is irresponsible. Politicians should put as much effort into explaining how they will shorten hospital waits as they put into explaining why their pension terms should improve.
State pensions and federal health services involve different budgets and authorities. That calls for cooperation.
Perak’s leaders should explain what access improvements they will fund and what staffing commitments they will seek from the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Public Service Department (JPA). Patients deserve dates and results that they can check.
Doctors’ welfare deserves the same attention. CodeBlue has reported that the Flying Doctor Service (FDS) helicopter crash killed a pilot and four health workers, and highlighted an RM30 allowance per return flight.
Dr Justine Sim described a 2018 flight without dedicated aviation safety training or an explanation of aviation risk insurance. He also shared an indemnity form covering armed forces transport.
The crash’s cause requires investigation, and that earlier account does not establish the protections on the fatal flight. It does demand clear answers about current arrangements.
Why must doctors raise basic safety questions publicly after colleagues die on duty? If politicians can review their retirement security, they should show equal concern for health workers’ safety, insurance and family protection.
A welfare review should publish the insurance and compensation available during official travel, explain indemnity forms in plain language, and check whether staff receive appropriate safety training.
Allowances should reflect duties and risks. Such a review needs a deadline and staff involvement, so health workers can assess the protection offered before carrying out an assignment, with their questions answered clearly.
Perak’s staffing figures make that demand reasonable. On April 15, Sivanesan reported one doctor per 466 people in Perak, compared with one per 403 nationally. He also reported 106 vacant permanent medical officer posts in MOH hospitals at the end of February 2026.
These ratios do not measure individual hospital workloads. Kindly address how many vacancies have since been filled, and which departments still need help?
Perak also has the country’s highest share of residents aged 65 and above: 10.8 per cent, compared with 8.4 per cent nationally, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia’s (DOSM) preliminary 2026 estimates.
Older patients may need help walking, understanding instructions or getting home. Essential caregivers should be expected and accommodated. Their presence should hardly surprise those responsible for planning services.
An online survey of 1,144 respondents, conducted in 2020 and published in 2022, found that 70.2 per cent would arrive more than half an hour before a hypothetical appointment. Parking and registration concerns were leading reasons.
The sample was not nationally representative and cannot explain today’s Perak queues. It nevertheless identifies practical barriers worth investigating before lecturing patients about punctuality.
Appointments should match available staff and clearly distinguish blood-test times from consultation times. Doctors assigned to ward rounds need realistic clinic schedules. Patients should receive explanations when emergencies cause delays.
Telephone and counter services should remain available, while hospitals improve accessible drop-off areas and waiting space for essential caregivers.
Existing measures deserve credit. MOH’s 2024 Klinik Kesihatan policy already supports appointment scheduling and priority access for older people and persons with disabilities.
Sivanesan also mentioned telephone medication collection arrangements and paid home delivery. The next question is whether these measures reduce visits and waiting times, and whether delivery charges exclude patients who need help most.
Doctors’ welfare must be part of the solution. Recruitment needs fair pay, clear career pathways, manageable duties and protected rest. Nurses, pharmacists and support staff need attention too.
Extra evening or weekend clinics should come with funded staffing and proper compensation. Longer opening hours cannot depend on endlessly stretching the same team.
Hospitals should measure waiting at each stage and distinguish early arrival from delays after an appointment time. Bed reports should distinguish beds that are staffed and usable from those merely unoccupied. Patients can appreciate their doctors and still deserve a shorter, less exhausting visit.
During the state legislative assembly session, Perak should publish waiting times, staffing gaps, and usable bed capacity. In the next session, it should report results from improvements at selected clinics.
Each action needs funding, a deadline, and someone responsible for it. Monthly reports should show whether patients wait less and staff workloads improve.
The recent Perak state legislative assembly has demonstrated that politicians’ retirement benefits can receive unanimous support. Patients and doctors deserve that same seriousness.
Perak’s leaders should now present a funded welfare and service improvement plan, and answer publicly for its results. Looking after those who serve and depend on public hospitals should command the same political commitment as looking after themselves.
The author is a specialist doctor in public service from Perak. 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.
