Better career paths, benefits for contract doctors
Government to offer two-year contract to medical, dental and pharmarcy officers after compulsory service, opportunities to pursue specialist training
The government fully understands the demands of this group of contract health workers and is also aware that their contribution and role as the frontliners is crucial in providing the best health services to the people, especially during this Covid-19 pandemic.
Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin
The government has agreed for medical, dental and pharmacy officers with contract appointments to be offered a two-year contract of service upon completion of their compulsory service period.
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in a statement yesterday said the move was to ensure continuity of service and also as a preparation for the young doctors to pursue specialist training.
He said this was also among the immediate solutions approved by the government a er the proposal relating to the improvement of contract status for medical, dental and pharmacy officers was tabled by the Ministry of Health at the Cabinet meeting on July 14.
“The government fully understands the demands of this group of contract health workers and is also aware that their contribution and role as the frontliners is crucial in providing the best health services to the people, especially during this Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.
The Prime Minister said the Cabinet also agreed to extend the contract of service to a maximum of four years for medical and dental officers accepted to pursue specialist training during their first two-year contract.
Muhyiddin said it was to ensure that the officers would be able to complete their specialist training.
“The Cabinet also understands the concerns and problems faced by the contract medical, dental and pharmacy officers in regards to the equivalence of their career paths. To ensure an equal and fair career path, the Cabinet agreed for contract medical, dental and pharmacy officers to be managed equally as permanent officers and to be made eligible for fullpay study leave and scholarship, or equivalent, as well as the Federal Training Prize,” he said.
The Prime Minister said other solutions approved were to improve the facilities and benefits for the contract officers, such as the special duty medical leave, tuberculosis leave and travel allowance to return to their region of origin.
The decision would also give the opportunity to the government to finalise the ongoing study on the reforms of the country’s healthcare system, review the existing provisions in the Medical Act 1971 and formulate the long-term road map for medical services, he said.
Muhyiddin also gave assurance that the government would remain commi ed to ensuring the wellbeing and career path of the contract healthcare workers would be given appropriate and fair a ention.
The best way we can appreciate our medical front-liners, especially for their service to our country during this pandemic, is to invest in them and give them better security of tenure, and of course a chance for them to further specialise in their desired Master’s programme under the government’s HLP.
Kelvin Yii
KUCHING: The Ministry of Health (MoH) and Public Service Department (JPA) have been asked why none of the 102 contract medical officers offered permanent posts in Sarawak’s hospitals are Sarawakian.
The contract medical officers are part of the 203 from the third cohort 2017 batch recently offered permanent posts throughout the country effective Aug 2.
In a statement yesterday, Bandar Kuching MP Kelvin Yii said while many Peninsular Malaysian doctors transferred to Sarawak are dedicated and diligent, in most cases these arrangements were not permanent.
He claimed eventually the doctors would be transferred back to their home states after their two-year compulsory service with the government, whether to be closer to their families or other reasons.
Yii urged MoH to prioritise Sarawakians when making new offers, especially if they are to eventually be posted in Sarawak to address the urgent need for doctors, particularly in rural areas on a long-term basis.
As it is, he claimed many Sarawakian doctors and other healthcare workers serving in Sarawak, including in rural areas, have yet to be offered permanent posts.
He said this may seem unfair, especially to those willing to serve and fill the urgent need for healthcare workers in rural areas.
He called on Deputy Health Minister II Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang, a Sarawakian, to address this issue, as he would have better knowledge of the urgent longterm needs for more healthcare workers in Sarawak.
Yii said MoH must also be transparent on its selection criteria for permanent posts for contract healthcare workers.
MoH should announce concrete plans to resolve the longstanding contract issues among healthcare workers nationwide, including proper distribution and placements in places with urgent needs, especially in Sabah and Sarawak, he said.
According to him, transparency and clarity on the selection of the 203 contract medical officers offered permanent posts have yet to be addressed.
He said this is needed not only for greater certainty on selection, but also to remove any perception of favouritism, bias, or even discrimination in the process.
“If the criteria are more transparent and certain, then the junior doctors can be better prepared and know for certain what they need to work for in order to achieve their target in obtaining a permanent posting. This may resolve a lot of the uneasiness and feelings of being under-appreciated that they are feeling now,” he said.
He pointed out it has been over a week since Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba promised the concerns and demands of healthcare workers would be discussed in Cabinet.
“I would like to echo our earlier call for the government to offer a fairer deal to these contract workers.
“The best way we can appreciate our medical frontliners, especially for their service to our country during this pandemic, is to invest in them and give them better security of tenure, and of course a chance for them to further specialise in their desired Master’s programme under the government’s Hadiah Latihan Persekutuan (HLP),” said Yii.
He said this is in line with the government’s efforts to produce more specialists and improve the quality of healthcare.