KUALA LUMPUR – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has vowed to turn 12,800 contract doctors into permanent staff within the next three years, as the government looks to resolve the group’s long-standing plight.
The figure is close to two-thirds of the medical officers hired by the government on a contractual basis, which presently stands at 20,330.
Addressing the Dewan Rakyat today, Anwar said he understood the plight of the contract doctors but noted that the issue could not be resolved now due to financial limitations.
For a start, he said about 4,300 contract doctors will be offered permanent posts this year, with the government allocating RM1.1 billion in Budget 2023 for this purpose.
Additionally, he said a further RM600 million has been allocated this year to meet the needs of the group.
“This is the (best) that we can do for this year,” he said during Prime Minister’s Question Time this morning.
“We expect, in the next three years, we will be able to absorb 12,800 contract doctors. This year alone, we will absorb 4,300,” he said.
“As such, I hope they can understand that it is never our intention to make light of them, because we know they have served well and sacrificed their time and energy for the nation.”
In this regard, Anwar pleaded for patience as the federal government attempts to address the matter.
He also expressed his gratitude to contract doctors for calling off a purported strike, which was supposed to take place from yesterday until tomorrow.
The strike was called for by an anonymous group called Mogok Doktor Malaysia, which told contract doctors to make themselves absent from work by taking emergency or medical leave. Another group, Hartal Kontrak Doktor, which organised a strike previously in 2021, has said it is not involved with the recent plan to strike.
Anwar was responding to Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau (Tuaran-PH) who wanted to know the total number of contract medical officers in the public service and the financial implications involved if all of them are absorbed into permanent posts.
On the issue of on-call allowance, Anwar announced today that the government had agreed to extend this to medical officers at six health clinics involved in a pilot project to tackle overcrowding at hospitals.
He said the payment would also include weekends.
“I have also ordered the Public Service Department and Health Ministry to study so that this facility can be extended to all other than medical officers.” – The Vibes, April 4, 2023
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