Contract doctors clad in black hold aloft placards demanding equal treatment as they go on strike at the Sungai Buloh Hospital July 26, 2021. — Picture by Hari Anggara
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 10 — The team behind the #HartalDoktorKontrak movement said it is perplexed by Putrajaya’s announcement that it is only now working out how many contract doctors to be given permanent posts.
Speaking to Utusan Malaysia, the movement’s spokesman Dr Mustapha Kamal said the predicament has been ongoing for five years, which begs the question if the government is really serious about tackling this issue.
“Only now they’re doing it? Don’t tell me in these five years no projections were made,” he was quoted saying.
Another spokesman for the group, Dr Muhammad Yassin, told Utusan Malaysia they were disappointed with Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin’s statement.
He said despite Khairy being newly appointed to the ministry, the secretary-general, director-general and top ranking officials in the ministry are still the same people.
“Two years we’ve been waiting to be absorbed as permanent staff, instead we’re given contract extensions. The question is why no projections were made before this and will it even be ready in the next five years?” he asked.
Yesterday, Khairy said MoH is in the process of preparing a projection on the number of medical officers that need to be appointed on a permanent basis.
The projection would be submitted to the Public Service Department and the Finance Ministry.