KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 30 — Opposition coalition Perikatan Nasional (PN) has announced its readiness to organise a peaceful rally against Regional Incentive Payment (BIW) cuts for health care workers.
PN health portfolio chairman Dr Ahmad Yunus Hairi, who is also Kuala Langat MP, demanded an immediate halt of BIW cuts and full restoration of the allowance to eligible health care workers in the public service.
“In this regard, Perikatan Nasional issues a clear and open warning that we will not hesitate to stand together with health care workers to organise peaceful demonstrations to demand their rights, should this issue continue to be taken lightly or silenced,” said Dr Ahmad Yunus in a statement yesterday.
“This is not a political threat, but a moral responsibility and a trust bestowed by the people to defend those who defend the nation’s health.
“Perikatan Nasional will continue to stand with health care workers — in Parliament, on the ground, and, if necessary, alongside them in the streets — in the interest of justice, professional dignity, and the welfare of the Malaysian people.”
No medical association so far has proposed organising a protest against the BIW allowance cuts, although various doctor and pharmacist groups, including those in Sabah and Sarawak, recently condemned the policy that came into effect a year ago, citing the loss of nearly RM8,000 annually for medical and pharmacy officers.
PN rejected the Public Service Department’s (JPA) stance that the BIW allowance – provided to doctors, pharmacists, and other management and professional (P&P) civil servants for transfers to Sabah, Sarawak, or Labuan – was a “privilege” rather than a “right”.
“In our view, BIW is a right of health care workers who:
- serve in regions that are challenging in terms of geography, logistics, and cost of living;
- bear heavy workloads due to manpower shortages; and
- form the backbone of the nation’s public health care system.
“This allowance is not a gift, expression of sympathy, or an act of administrative goodwill,” said Dr Ahmad Yunus. “It is a right that arises from real sacrifice and genuine service on the ground.”
In November 2024, Public Service director-general (KPPA) Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz said the BIW allowance wasn’t “our right”, but a “facility” provided by the government as a form of appreciation for civil servants’ contributions.
Under the Public Service Remuneration System (SSPA), the BIW allowance for transfers to Sabah, Sarawak, and Labuan was changed to a fixed RM360 monthly rate for officers appointed from December 1, 2024, compared to the old progressive structure of a percentage of basic salary.
The BIW allowance for existing permanent officers appointed before that date was frozen at the last-drawn amount before SSPA implementation in December 2024.
A government doctor wrote on Facebook last Friday that even with the progressive BIW allowance 16 years ago, only five of his 14 university mates posted to Sarawak had reported for duty.
“When the SSPA was announced to replace the SSM (Malaysian Remuneration System), the BIW was one of the most significant changes. I had even made a summary of this,” he said.
“At that time, I already knew that the BIW issue would inevitably resurface, especially in relation to new appointments or offers of permanent appointment. It was just a ticking bomb. I really do not understand how clever people in MOF (Ministry of Finance) and JPA failed to anticipate this issue.”
The Borneo Post reported SUPP Dudong vice chairman Dr Wong Chya Wei as telling a press conference in Sibu yesterday that the Sarawak state government should consider giving a special allowance to all doctors who provide services in the state.
