Transparency needed in appointment of permanent doctors, says MP

 

Contract doctors during their one-day walkout on July 26 to press for better job security and opportunities for career development.

PETALING JAYA: Transparency surrounding the appointment to permanent positions remains the biggest complaint of contract doctors, says Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii.

He said the main issue that needs to be overcome is the criteria for such appointments, “which is not transparent and has no accountability”.

Contract doctors across the country staged a nationwide walkout as part of the Hartal Doktor Kontrak strike on July 26, calling for job security and opportunities to further their career development, among others.

While Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said they would be offered a two-year contract of service and fully sponsored study leave to pursue their specialisation, the doctors called the offer a “half-baked solution”.

Speaking at a webinar last night, Yii questioned how candidates were appointed to permanent posts.

“If it is not transparent, of course there will be cases where maybe I use ‘cables’ or I know someone and I get a permanent position,” he said.

“I won’t mention names, but I know that many people have got permanent positions because of their ‘cables’, and this is something that should not be happening.

“If we address the selection criteria, I think a lot of the (contract doctors’) dissatisfaction can be addressed”.

Yii heads the parliamentary select committee on health, science and innovation.

The webinar, titled “Hartal Doctor Contract 2.0? Claims for a concrete plan”, was organised by Sabah-based think tank Wisdom Foundation.

Another speaker, Dr Deeban Ramasamy, also called for clear guidelines on the selection criteria for permanent positions.

A representative of the Hartal Doktor Kontrak group, Deeban said their demands remain the same since the July 26 protest – permanent posts and transparent, detailed guidelines on their selection.

He said a proper ranking system accessible to everyone would be the best outcome.

There are more than 20,000 doctors serving with the government under the contract system, introduced in 2016 to deal with an oversupply of medical graduates.

The contract system limits medical officers to five years’ service in the public sector, after which they will have to move into the private sector or take up specialist training at their own expense.

Apart from the reduced pay and benefits, and despite doing the same jobs as their permanent counterparts, the contract doctors have also bemoaned the lack of opportunities to further their career development, either through a master’s degree or by taking up a specialisation. - FMT