Medical officers are given one-month notice for duty transfers and are entitled to benefits, including travel allowances and hotel accommodation, according to Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa.
Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa thanks health care workers for not joining the strike organised by Mogok Doktor Malaysia last Monday, stressing that strike action isn’t the best solution and that problems should be resolved through the "right platform".
While welcoming PM's commitment to provide 12,800 permanent positions for doctors within 3 years, MMA says there should be a long-term projection of 5 to 10 years for needed health care human resources, besides saying a health commission may be needed too.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim says the government allocated RM1.7 billion this year for additional contract doctors and for absorption into permanent positions, estimating that in three years, 12,800 contract doctors can be absorbed into permanent service.
Zaliha Mustafa proposes for pensions not to be provided to contract doctors and other health workers when they enter permanent service, but to retain benefits like home loans. The health minister also says patient load at MOH facilities exceeds capacity.
Health DG Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah says health workers, as the "main asset" of the health service, deserve fair wages and he believes the government will address demands by health workers from time to time, stressing that a strike isn't the best solution.
Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa says 4,255 of 24,548 contract medical officers (17%) were absorbed into permanent service as of Dec 31, 2022, maintaining that the evaluation process for permanent appointments is "objective, fair, and transparent".
Tuaran MP Wilfred Madius Tangau says the contract system in the public health service, worsened by overwork, has caused The Great Resignation of doctors, with Sabah experiencing an all-time record high of doctors quitting the service.
Perikatan Nasional and Armada demand a royal commission on health care, pointing out that Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa has yet to produce concrete solutions to issues like doctors' low on-call allowances and contract issues among health workers.