Sacrifices of mental health workers ignored

 

From underpaid healthcare workers

Despite the mounting calls to step up mental health services and the government pledging to look into the matter, it is depressing to see how the health ministry has been treating our workers who are providing mental healthcare.

Early this year, health minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa announced nearly 5,000 permanent posts for medical, dental and pharmacy officers, but none for counsellors and clinical psychologists.

The intake of permanent posts for counsellors and clinical psychologists never exceeded 50 at a time, if it ever occurs.

While we applaud the then government’s effort in taking in more than 200 counselling officers on an annual-renewal contract basis to compensate for this shortage in 2020, it is important to point out that we are often the forgotten bunch within MOH when the topic of permanent posts arises.

The public are unaware of our existence, and that more than 200 counselling officers are placed in health clinics (klinik kesihatan) all across Malaysia for accessible mental health services. Treatment charges vary from RM1 to RM5, depending on the respective clinics.

These much-needed services now benefit more than 10,000 patients since its inception in 2020 and will benefit many more soon. With the spirit of “kita jaga kita”, many of us left our previous lucrative jobs and joined MOH despite meagre benefits – no Employees Provident Fund (EPF) contributions, no coverage under the Social Security Organisation (Socso), no salary increment since 2020 (despite the B2 salary range of between RM2,501 and RM3,170 in the B40 group), and no paid maternity leave.

Many of us are disheartened and feel stuck as we do not see a career path ahead in MOH. Hence many have left, which is understandable considering the rising cost of living.

‘Siapa jaga kita’?

It has become all the more disappointing when new permanent posts for counselling officers were filled in by a new intake of counselling officers instead of recruiting from the existing batch of 200 annual-renewal counselling officers.

When our concerns are brought to our higher-ups in MOH, we are always assured that new posts are on the way, that we should update our Public Services Commission (PSC) account, and be patient.

Yet nothing has changed. When some of us brought up the inconsistency and late payment of salaries to our district department, it referred us to MOH, and MOH re-referred us to our district department.

Being a temporary solution to a mental health epidemic, we understood what we signed up for – a contract for service. We are well aware that the government reserves the right to pay or not to pay our retirement funds and other benefits, but to resort to the same contract for the past three years, and entering the fourth, would anything change? We care for others, but who cares about our stress levels and livelihood?

Being enthusiastic mental health providers who advocate accessible and affordable mental healthcare, this would have been an avenue for us to serve the public. But as our contract comes to an end in August 2023, the cruel reality hits – will we still agree to the same remuneration, sacrificing our livelihood for the benefit of others?

The health minister and MOH need to think long and deep about the framework of our mental healthcare services. Undeniably, basic psychotropic medications for depression and anxiety are available in any klinik kesihatan. However, to obtain counselling services and clinical psychology services available in the psychiatry outpatient clinic, you would have to wait a minimum of one month for an appointment.

With counsellors widespread throughout health clinics in Malaysia, appointments could be obtained within one week. To put it bluntly, the over-200 counselling officers serve as a pillar in the healthcare system mitigating the burden of our hospital’s psychiatry clinic, and this is how we are being treated.

Zaliha must look into the unfairness we counselling officers face. We are being exploited. Do we have to go on strike like #HartalDoktorKontrak to be heard?

I digress to the fact whereby we have to be empathetic as the government would need time to resolve this matter. Truth be told, we have been empathetic enough, and Malaysians are the ones who will suffer if counselling officers resign, because patients would need some time to get used to their new counsellors.

Make changes to our contract, not just for our sake, but for the rakyat’s. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.