Thursday, February 3, 2022

Health Ministry to extend contracts of medical assistants amid talks of protest

 


The Health Ministry said it is in the midst of extending the contract of assistant medical officers and is waiting for confirmation from the relevant federal agencies and the Public Service Commission.

It said this in response to an Utusan Malaysia report that said contract assistant medical officers are mooting a protest, similar to what government contract doctors did last year under Hartal Doktor Kontrak group.

Contract assistant medical officers, like contract doctors in the government service, have struggled with similar concerns including the absence of job security and lower benefits compared to their permanent peers.

"The Public Service Commission on Jan 26 and Jan 28 have agreed to extend the contract of 1,243 Grade U29 assistant medical officers from among the Health Ministry Training Institute graduates whose contract will expire on Feb 2," Health Ministry secretary-general Mohd Shafiq Abdullah said in a statement.

He added that the extension for other cohorts whose contracts will also expire this year will be done in phases.

Mohd Shafiq said the Health Ministry appreciates the contribution of assistant medical officers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

He added that the extension was made considering the country was moving into an endemic phase of the pandemic and there was also a backlog in medical services and procedures that were put off during the pandemic. - Mkini

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