Cabinet to discuss demands by contract medical officers - Adham

 

Demands made by the Health Ministry's contract medical officers who want more secure and better career paths will soon be discussed by the cabinet.

Health Minister Dr Adham Baba said he expects decisions would be made by the government soon and called for calm.

"Regarding the situation involving contract medical officers, we will bring this to the cabinet meeting. A cabinet paper is being prepared and it will be tabled soon.

"This is to ensure that several demands to make the contract scheme for doctors more beneficial (will be met)," he told a virtual press conference this afternoon.

Adham was responding to a plan by junior doctors on contract to hold a strike. The doctors are not satisfied with what they described as a lack of job security and career development opportunities in the health industry.

He said the ministry employs 35,216 contract staff including 23,077 medical officers, while the rest are dental and pharmacy officers.

On top of this, the ministry also has graduate training slots, with every batch involving 12,153 doctors who have just finished their houseman training. The trainees will be appointed by the ministry according to their merits during the training.

"I am appealing to these doctors under contract schemes to be patient and calm.

"What we have done before this was to increase their salaries and adjust their grades from UD41 to UD43. So, their salary and grades are almost at par with the permanent medical officers. There are not many differences.

"Several issues they are demanding will be brought to the attention of the cabinet and we will act accordingly with the cabinet decision which will be made soon," he added. - Mkini