A group of junior medical officers from the Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital in Terengganu was informed they risk facing disciplinary actions if they participate in a strike planned next month, according to sources.
The message was conveyed by Terengganu deputy health director Dr Saifur Rahman Muhammad to some 40 junior medicals officers who attended a one-hour engagement session held at the hospital's auditorium yesterday.
Malaysiakini sighted a memo from Saifur to the hospital director, Dr Mohd Salleh Mat Jusoh, requesting permission for five contract medical officers from each department to attend the session.
Details from the meeting were initially shared by a doctor on Twitter, along with a summary of "conclusions" that included the Health Ministry is "unable to meet their demands" but yet they are not allowed to strike.
When contacted, another doctor said the junior medical officers were not prevented from participating in the strike, but they were cautioned there would be a risk of immediate termination or non-extension of their contracts.
The doctor said Saifur informed them that as a civil servant, he couldn't support a strike that supposedly goes against their ethics.
They were also reminded they had signed up to be contract staff and the government was not obligated to assign them permanent positions.
It is understood similar engagement sessions with junior medical officers will also be organised at other Terengganu government hospitals as well as state health offices.
The Health Ministry yesterday denied issuing a directive for all heads of clinical departments to identify contract medical officers under their charge who intended or had requested to be absent from work on July 1.
Instead, the ministry said its secretary-general Mohd Shafiq Abdullah had in his communications with state health departments outlined various efforts to address issues faced by contract medical officers.
This includes getting the right number of permanent placements, the extension of contracts and salary disparity between contract and permanent staff.
Malaysiakini on Saturday reported that a group of contract medical officers will proceed with a planned strike at the end of July unless the government resolves long-standing issues surrounding their permanent placements.
According to Health Ministry data, there were 23,077 contract medical officers recruited since 2016, of which only 789 have been absorbed as permanent staff. - Mkini
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