THE Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) has called for an overhaul of maternity leave policies for government servants.
The current policy, which grants between 60 and 90 days, is deemed insufficient compared to the 98 days mandated for private sector employees under last year’s amended Employment Act 1955.
MMA president Dr Azizan Abdul Aziz said this reality has unfortunately caused a double standard between the public and private sectors, given that a civil servant may get up to 38 fewer maternity leave days than their counterparts in the private sector.
“A shorter maternity leave period undermines the essential recovery time needed by new mothers and compromises the critical early bonding period between mother and infant, which is fundamental to the child’s development and the mother’s mental health,” she said in a statement on Wednesday (Aug 7).
“Reducing this period not only puts undue stress on our dedicated medical officers but also potentially impacts the quality of care they can provide upon returning to work prematurely.”
Dr Azizan further stressed that maternity protection is a human right enshrined in Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
“Best practices have seen it set (maternity leave) at 98 days (14 weeks). It is not merely a benefit but a crucial period for the health and wellbeing of both mother and child,” she added.
“A shorter maternity leave period undermines the essential recovery time needed by new mothers and compromises the critical early bonding period between mother and infant, which is fundamental to the child’s development and the mother’s mental health.
“The decision disregards the well-established benefits of the standard 98-day maternity leave, which include adequate physical recovery from childbirth, support for successful breastfeeding, and the mitigation of postpartum depression.”
Dr Azizan warned that reducing this period not only puts undue stress on the country’s medical officers but also potentially impacts the quality of care they can provide upon returning to work prematurely.
The Hulu Langat health office recently caused a stir by allowing only 60 days of maternity leave for seven of its medical officers, which JPA director-general Datuk Seri Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz said did not violate regulations.
According to Wan Ahmad, an existing circular gave the district health office the discretion to grant doctors between 60 and 90 days of maternity leave.
However, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad later said the matter had been resolved with the full 90-day maternity leave restored for the seven doctors.
Dr Azizan thanked Dr Dzulkefly for settling the issue but said it reflected a need for improvements in the ministry’s management of human resources, which she claimed was the cause of many issues in the public healthcare system.
“While we appreciate the ministry’s swift resolution of this issue, it underscores the need for improvements within the Health Ministry’s human resources department. This situation could have been avoided with more effective foresight and planning from the department,” Dr Azizan remarked.
“It has become evident that many challenges in the healthcare system stem from inadequate human resources planning.
“Despite the Health Minister’s commitment to enhancing the welfare of healthcare workers, there remains a disconnect at the operational level concerning the needs of workforce, as demonstrated by this recent incident.”
As part of measures towards better planning of healthcare human resources, Dr Azizan reiterated the Health Ministry to consider MMA’s proposal for digitalised mapping of human resources, a step she believes will significantly help address the uneven workforce distribution in public healthcare seen throughout the country.
“This data-driven approach would facilitate better decision-making and ultimately improve healthcare services and delivery for the population,” she said. – Aug 7, 2024
