Contract doctors’ group, Hartal Doktor Kontrak (HDK), has urged the government to expedite the enactment of the Health Services and Healthcare Reform commissions.
In a memorandum addressed to Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa, the group said that the commissions would play a critical role in ensuring the welfare and job security of healthcare workers in Malaysia.
On March 30, Zaliha was quoted saying that the proposal for the formation of a Healthcare Reform Commission would be presented through the tabling of a Health White Paper in Parliament.
The reform commission would be tasked to tackle issues related to the service scheme for health personnel, especially doctors.
She did not provide a timeline for the tabling of the Health Paper but was earlier quoted saying that it would be tabled in the middle of this year.
The formation of a Health Services Commission was touted by former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin last August, who said that it would provide autonomy to authorities to fill and create jobs in the healthcare sector.
Improving health staff welfare ‘crucial’
Meanwhile, HDK’s memorandum today also called on the government to take steps to improve the welfare of contract healthcare workers in Malaysia.
“This includes addressing issues such as job security, career progression, and access to benefits and various perks which are currently only applicable to permanent healthcare workers.
“We believe that by improving the welfare of contract healthcare workers, the government will be able to attract and retain more healthcare professionals in Malaysia, which is crucial for the long-term sustainability of the healthcare system,” read the memorandum.
HDK also reiterated its request to be included in a high-level inter-ministerial committee established by the government to look into issues related to contract doctors.
Hartal met with Zaliha this evening to submit their memorandum to the minister.
Dubious, but ‘successful’ strike
The group’s memorandum comes in the wake of an alleged doctors’ strike held last week - which called for all contract doctors to be given permanent positions, an increase in basic salary and on-call rates, and for staff shortages to be resolved.
The strike was organised by an anonymous group “Mogok Doktor Kontrak”, which claimed to comprise contract doctors working in the public healthcare system. HDK denied any association with the group.
The strike, which took place from April 3 to 5, called on contract doctors to protest by taking medical leave, emergency leave, or by resigning en masse.
However, Mogok Doctor Malaysia’s Instagram accounts were deactivated on day two of the strike - raising concerns about the validity of the protest.
Prior to the deactivation, the group had reportedly labelled the strike a success, claiming that some 3,000 doctors had participated.
Checks by several media outlets showed that public hospitals across the nation were not affected by the strike, with medical services running smoothly.
Doctors who Malaysiakini spoke to also revealed they would not participate in the strike due to the suspicious anonymity of the strike’s organisers. - Mkini
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