Zaliha: Govt to form high-level panel on contract doctors issue

The government has agreed to form a high-level committee to discuss the long-standing issue concerning contract doctors.

According to Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa, the committee will involve Chief Secretary to the Government Mohd Zuki Ali and other relevant ministries and agencies.

“The matter was discussed in a cabinet meeting on March 31, which then agreed to form the committee.

“The ministry is aware that the contract doctors issue was inherited from a previous government when it was introduced in 2016 - when the country was faced with a deluge of medical graduates in the job market,” she said in a statement today.

Zaliha (above) said the Health Ministry is sensitive to the voices of healthcare workers and has always ensured that all the concerns raised are solved according to the country’s economic ability.

“These include creating permanent positions, sponsoring the studies of doctors, having time-based promotions, as well as creating the opportunity for promotions to a special grade,” she stressed.

The minister then touched on talks about contract doctors planning to go on a strike nationwide, between April 3 and 5.

“For the time being, the ministry does not have any information on the strike. The ministry thinks that a strike is not the best solution for any problems faced by professionals from any sector, including healthcare.

“This idea (of a strike) should be weighed carefully as healthcare is a crucial sector that concerns human lives and the rakyat’s wellbeing,” she said.

Therefore, Zaliha reiterated that going on a strike will not solve the problems at hand and said that the aggrieved parties should air and solve their grievances professionally and prudently.

“As civil servants, be it those in a permanent or contract position, one must remember that they are bound by the integrity and ethics of the civil service.”

Last month, Zaliha held a town hall meeting with junior doctors in Putrajaya and promised that her ministry will work toward resolving several recurring issues plaguing medical officers in the country, including cases of bullying in government hospitals. - Mkini