The Cabinet was debating 34 other papers before the 35th paper on ending the critical allowance for new government doctors and other professionals in the public sector.
Khalid Samad asks why the paper on abolishing the critical allowance was presented on the day of the Cabinet meeting itself, instead of the conventional two weeks prior.
The critical allowance issue is not about junior doctors being overworked and underpaid. It is about how the government has failed the general public and the entire health care workforce of Malaysia.
A Grade UD41 houseman hired in October 2019 would earn almost RM4,000, but a doctor hired next year onwards will earn about RM3,300 at the end of their housemanship.