The team behind the Hartal Doktor Kontrak (HDK) movement has postponed a planned second strike nationwide, slated to be held today, against the government for failing to resolve the problems faced by contract doctors.
This is because the HDK team decided to await a cabinet decision on permanent posting for these doctors after Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin promised, on Nov 25 to bring the matter to the cabinet within two weeks.
However, the HDK team pledged to mobilise the second wave of strikes, followed by a massive exodus of doctors from government service, dubbed #ExitKKM, if the government fails to come out with a constructive solution.
The #ExitKKM hashtag has been shared on social media whenever a junior doctor or their relative made known a doctor’s resignation, since November, in protest against the 2022 Budget, which proposes to extend the contracts of 10,000 trainee doctors by another two years rather than offering them permanent positions.
"The HDK secretariat is aware of the statement made by the health minister that he will bring the matter to cabinet within two weeks so that a solution can be reached.
"We hereby temporarily postpone the planned HDK 2.0 on Dec 8 to await a detailed explanation from the Health Ministry," the HDK team said.
Doctors tell govt: The decision is un your hands
The contract doctors added: "It should be noted that contract doctors are an important group in ensuring pandemic preparedness in the face of the still unresolved Covid-19 outbreak.
"Failure to come out with a constructive solution that is convincing and ensuring the welfare (of doctors) immediately, will only invite a massive #ExitKKM exodus; the second Hartal wave.
"We once again urge the government to take the issue seriously, without any excuses. The decision is in your hands.
"Extending the contract by two to four years, as set out in the 2022 Budget session, does not provide strong confidence that doctors employed on contract would continue to remain in the public sector.
"Such meaningless extension is insensitive to the country's young doctors. It should not be accepted, even as a short-term solution."
Back in July, the movement managed to galvanise hundreds of contract doctors nationwide to walk out from their workplaces.
The HDK movement has been campaigning for an end to the "two-tier system" between permanent trainee doctors and those on contract at government hospitals, whereby the latter are ineligible for local postgraduate scholarships to become specialists.
They are also not guaranteed permanent posts after their five-year contract.
This is on top of a lack of transparent criteria for deciding which graduates obtain a contract or permanent training post in the first place.
HDK is in the process of forming a contract doctors union by the end of the year to demand improvements to working conditions.
Deputy Health Minister Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali said the doctors have stated various reasons for their exit, including to continue their service at private facilities, personal issues, furthering their studies and health problems.
The number of contract medical officers who resigned from government service in 2017 was 110, followed by 168 in 2018, 475 in 2019, and 511 (2020). - Mkini
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