THE Health Ministry, Health director-general and senior doctors in the public healthcare system should empathise and listen to the junior doctors’ plight, says Petaling Jaya MP Maria Chin Abdullah in a statement today.
“This is not just about the contract doctors’ system; this is about the whole public healthcare system at stake of falling into a total failure.
“Article 10 of the Federal Constitution in Malaysia protects the freedom of expression in the country, and this includes the freedom of the contract doctors to air their grievances over the poor contract system that deprives them of fair and equal treatment as medical doctors in the public healthcare system.”
According to Maria, it is unfair how the Perikatan Nasional (PN) administration has failed the frontliners and used disciplinary actions and threats from the authorities against the junior doctors for voicing out the problems in the country’s healthcare policy.
“Why are more than 23,000 contract doctors in the public healthcare service not part of the permanent employment?” she demanded.
“Taking actions against the contract doctors and healthcare professionals who showed solidarity in #HartalDoktorKontrak by walking out and showing placards calling for healthcare reforms is absolutely ridiculous.
“The same frontliners were hailed as heroes last year by this administration, but yet this Government hammers down calls for help and muzzles the voices of these hardworking frontline healthcare workers. It is just heartless and cruel.” – July 26, 2021
Photo credit: Malaysian Insider
