THE Academy of Medicine of Malaysia (AMM) has called for the government to create job opportunities and offer better contracts to medical officers (MOs), saying qualified, well-trained specialists are national assets.
This comes in response to the health minister’s statement in Parliament on July 13 that the government will not be offering sponsored specialist training to contract officers as there are 23,928 MOs who have yet to undergo specialist or subspecialist training.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has shown that qualified, well-trained specialists are a national asset, and we should strive to have an adequate number of them in our hospitals.
“AMM urges the government to create meaningful training pathways, longer term contracts and, eventually, permanent posts for MOs, especially as they have served on the frontlines during the pandemic,” said the academy in a statement.
It noted that the contract hiring policy introduced in 2016 was a laudable short-term solution for ensuring graduates could complete their medical training, but a long-term plan is now needed to provide those doctors with permanent posts and clear pathways for continuing their postgraduate studies.
AMM recommended introducing longer-term contracts of four to five years, as that would provide MOs with better job security and experience to pursue specialist training. The government should also increase the number of permanent posts available in the country.
“There must also be clear eligibility guidelines and performance indicators set for MOs to be offered permanent positions at the end of their contracts. As it stands, there is uncertainty around the fate of these MOs once their two-year training ends. This must be addressed to ensure that the frontliners who served Malaysians when we needed it most are appropriately recognised,” said the academy.
Another point noted was that contract officers are not eligible for local postgraduate specialisation courses, even if they are self-funded.
“We acknowledge that it would be financially unsustainable for the government to sponsor all MOs through specialist training. While there have always been doctors who paid for their own postgraduate studies or gone abroad to pursue international qualifications, this is not a realistic option for many graduates.
“Therefore, it is incumbent upon the government to provide alternative pathways in public institutions to MOs who wish to specialise. If contract-based hiring is going to grow more common, the government must create opportunities for contract MOs to pursue postgraduate specialisation courses too,” said AMM. – July 17, 2020
