WITH the Government seemingly at odds on how to counter the supposed strike by contract doctors’ strike on July 1, a former Government leader offered solutions to address the matter holistically.
“There are two things the Government can do. One is to create more permanent posts in the Health Ministry (MOH).
“Secondly, the Government can make contract medical officers (MO) eligible for Hadiah Latihan Persekutuan (HLP) and allow longer tenure of contract,” former Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye told FocusM.
Recently, contract doctors have bemoaned the fact that over 23,000 of them have yet to get absorbed automatically as permanent staff, as it was the practice in the past.
Many of them have been serving since December 2016, adding they were unhappy that the Government had only promised to extend their contracts until December next year.
Several non-governmental organisations (NGO) have urged the Government to come up with a comprehensive plan to address the issue, saying the problem would only multiply in the future as more than 4,000 doctors graduate every year.
Yesterday, Free Malaysia Today reported the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) reassuring contract doctors they are currently working with the authorities to resolve the matter.
“As doctors, our first and foremost guiding principle is still to do no harm. While the MMA will not condone a work strike during a pandemic, we will instead be planning for a day of solidarity for our junior doctors,” it was reported saying.
Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan urged the Government to handle the matter tactfully, adding the MOH needs an overhaul to address post-pandemic healthcare needs.
Elaborating on his first point, Lee said that MOH must increase permanent positions in tandem with the nation’s healthcare needs.
For starters, he opined that candidate who enrolled in the Masters of Medicine programme or those in parallel pathways should be offered permanent posts.
“Those not going for specialist training, the contract offer should be sufficient for them to gain enough work experience to become an all-rounded general practitioner (GP).
“For this option to work, the Cabinet will have to revise the 2008 decision (reaffirmed in 2015) to freeze the creation of new posts in our civil service,” Lee stated.
PSD and MOH must tweak policies
On the second suggestion, he said that soon after a MO is registered to take up the Masters in Medicine programme or any other parallel courses, the candidates should be offered HLP and a longer duration of contract to complete the programme.
However, the Gopeng MP said that scheme would require the Public Service Department (PSD) to change its existing policies.
“The PSD must understand that these MOs in postgraduate training are providing essential service in the public sector. They are not on study holiday like other non-medical postgraduate programme.
“And for those who are uninterested or not accepted in the Masters in Medicine or such parallel programmes, they should be given sufficient exposure to become GPs,” he stressed.
On a general note, Lee argued that MOH’s offer to extend MOs contract until December next year was unreasonable.
He added that PSD’s existing policy of offering “scholarship” or HLP only to permanent post holders was only making matters worse.
“Contract MOs, under the current policy, will not be able to get HLP, and automatically not eligible for enrolment into the local post-graduate programmes.
“They will also not be able to get necessary work experience to qualify for parallel pathways or for specialist training organised by overseas institutions.
“If left unresolved, not only will the nation be short of medical specialists which we’re already facing now, the Masters of Medicine programmes in public universities will also face insufficient student intake,” the PKR leader cautioned.
On related matter, Lee urged the Government to address discrepancy on the grading and remuneration scheme between permanent MOs and contractual ones as well.
At present, permanent MOs start at higher grade of UD 44 whereas contract MO start at UD 41.
“A Cabinet decision was made during Pakatan Harapan in November 2019 to revise the grade for contract MO at UD43 but its implementation was delayed,” he remarked. – June 27, 2021.
Photo credit: MalayMail
