Seniors doctors urge govt to resolve contract doctors impasse

 

Seniors doctors have urged the authorities to intervene immediately to prevent contract doctors from going on strike this week.

Former Universiti Malaya dean of medicine Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman said that healthcare workers are the pillars of the system and the strike could have a negative impact.

“I genuinely fear for the future of our healthcare system. Healthcare workers are the pillars of the system.

“Doctors do not take walking away from their patients lightly. A real sense of despair and hopelessness among the medical officers has brought us to this,” she said on her Twitter account.

Infectious diseases expert Dr Christopher Lee expressed disappointment that the issue has reached this stage.

“This has been brewing. We had years to work on a plan to address the consequences. Did we not see this coming?” he said.

Vague plan

Consultant paediatrician Dr Amar Singh urged authorities to be compassionate and not threaten the doctors going on strike because they want their voices to be heard.

He also said that the authorities should have a concrete strategy to resolve the issue and not just a vague plan that would not benefit the contract doctors in the long term.

A group dubbed Mogok Doktor Malaysia is calling on contract doctors to go on strike from Monday to Wednesday by taking medical leave, emergency leave, or by resigning en masse.

The group’s demands include that all contract doctors be given permanent positions, an increase in basic salary and on-call rates, and a resolution to staff shortages.

The group claims over 8,000 doctors will take part in the strike.

Cripple operations

Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim has appealed to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for immediate intervention as he could assuage the doctors who are furious at the government.

"The prime minister's intervention with assurances to solve their problems could avoid the strike from being launched, which is feared could cripple operations at (public hospitals).

"The prime minister must hear their protests that there is discrimination and oppression towards contract doctors," Hassan said.

A high-level committee led by Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has also asked for a chance at solving the contract doctors' woes. - Mkini