THE Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) has expressed deep disappointment over the government’s recent rejection of their proposal to increase the on-call allowance for public healthcare doctors.
MMA president Dr Azizan Abdul Aziz criticised the government’s decision, calling it an insult to healthcare professionals across the nation.
“We are utterly disappointed over the government’s outright rejection of our proposal requesting to increase public healthcare doctors’ weekend on-call allowance from the current hourly rate of RM9.16 to RM25.
“The Health Ministry’s (MOH) response stating that RM9.16 is an ‘appropriate’ rate is an insult to not only doctors but all healthcare workers in the country. Is the government even aware that there are waiters in the country who get paid a higher hourly rate than its doctors?” said Dr Azizan.
“Contrary to the government’s explanation – the amount is paid for 24 hours of work (which would not be paid had the doctor not worked) therefore the RM220 should be divided by 24 hours.”
She also highlighted that this rejection comes after a 10-month wait for a response to their previous townhall, further adding to their frustration.
MMA criticised the government’s lack of transparency in the selection criteria for permanent positions within the healthcare system. Dr Azizan stressed the importance of a fair and transparent ranking system to evaluate doctors properly.
Besides, the association expressed concern about the inaccurate information provided by the government, leading to a false public perception of the situation. It was clarified that not all public healthcare doctors are entitled to the allowances mentioned in the government’s response, creating confusion among the public.
“Remember Dr Ali with his RM17k salary? We would like to remind the government that this is not the first time the government has provided inaccurate information in a statement. Early this year, the government’s explanation of on-call allowance published in the media was factually incorrect. The government has since not retracted its statement nor apologised for its mistake,” added Dr Azizan.
Moreover, she urged the government to reconsider its decision, emphasising the high attrition rate in public healthcare.
She also highlighted a staggering 1,131% increase in contract medical officer resignations from 2017 to 2022, indicating the severity of the issue. Additionally, 890 specialists resigned from government service between 2018 to 2022, averaging more than four specialists leaving per week during that period.
Furthermore, MMA pointed out that the frustration among doctors in public healthcare should not be underestimated. With burnout, low wages and now stagnant allowances, there is a growing concern that these issues might exacerbate frustrations and lead to a brain drain in the healthcare sector.
MMA called for a review of the on-call allowance rate every five years, considering inflation and the rising cost of living. – Nov 4, 2023
Main photo credit: CodeBlue
