THE Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) is concerned with the recent issues faced by medical officers in relation to the eHouseman (eHO) placement.
For context, contract medical officers receiving offers to become permanent medical officers were required to choose their placements through the eHO portal.
However, following its implementation, we have received much feedback from junior doctors who were affected.
The new issues include:
Challenging placement selection system
Doctors have difficulty accessing the eHO portal, with delays and system crashes affecting the application process for all involved.
The placement selection was carried out on a first-come-first-served basis, with the doctors being divided into several selection phases.
However, not all options for states and medical facilities were made available in each of the selection phases, leading to an unfair and partly luck-based system.
Relocation affecting future specialists
Doctors enrolled in a master's or parallel pathway programme who were recently offered permanent positions were also required to relocate.
This has affected them, as their training necessitates them being in specific facilities.
While the candidates have been told that they must write in to inform of their status and that they will be allowed to stay, this is an unnecessary extra step that shows that the Public Service Department (PSD) and the Health Ministry are not communicating adequately. We hope this will change.
Besides the new issues mentioned above, MMA has also raised the following issues previously but has yet to receive satisfactory answers.
Unnecessary HLP bond
The Hadiah Latihan Persekutuan (HLP) bond for those who are paying for the parallel pathway is unnecessary and should not take place.
Many people are financing their own studies and training out of their own pockets. The decision to shoehorn all parallel pathway trainees into applying for HLP and bonding them despite minimal sponsorship from the government may be construed as exploitative and unfair.
Transparent selection criteria
The MMA has been asking for more transparent and fair selection criteria for permanent medical officers. We have even drafted a selection criteria based on feedback from our members and the medical fraternity; however, there has been no response from the ministry to date.
Spell out clear promotion pathway
For doctors who remain on contract, the PSD must come out with clear answers on when and if they will get a promotion to UD47 status.
The current status quo is unfair, as with each contract renewal, medical officers remain as UD43 with a stagnant pay scale and increment, disregarding their experience and years of service in the government (some have more than five to six years of service under their belt).
The PSD has to also take into account contract medical officers completing their parallel pathway examinations and entering their specialist gazettement phase.
A clear pathway for absorbing these doctors into permanent service as specialists must be announced, as many of these doctors are and will be imminently approaching this stage of their careers.
Contract service ignored
Similarly, for medical officers who have received permanent status, PSD must consider their existing duration and years of service as contract medical officers in their promotion timeline instead of resetting them as “fresh” UD43 despite more than five years of service under their belt.
MMA seeks appropriate action from the relevant authorities. – The Vibes, June 16, 2023
This statement was made by the president of the Malaysian Medical Association, Dr Muruga Raj Rajathurai
