KUALA LUMPUR – The Health Ministry has denied allegations of racism in the selection process and appointment of permanent medical staff.
The matter stemmed from a statement from Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba on June 23, in a response to a news article titled “Teliti Semula Urusan Pengambilan Pegawai Perubatan” published by Utusan Malaysia.
The ministry said the allegations do not represent the ministry and it was an excerpt from a response from Malaysian Public Health Physicians’ Association (PPKAM) and Pertubuhan Doktor-Doktor Islam Malaysia (Perdim) in the statement.
It added that the ministry’s explanation on the issue brought up by the two associations was made in the second paragraph.
Yesterday, the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) called on Dr Adham to not sow racial discord among health professionals by promoting discrimination in favour of Bumiputeras for government positions.
Describing such a stance as an insult to the profession, MMA president Datuk Dr Subramaniam Muniandy said there is no room for bias in the industry, especially in this critical time of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a statement last night, he said the association wants the Health Ministry to be transparent on its evaluation criteria for contract doctors, so as to allay doubts of institutionalised racism.
“MMA unequivocally rejects the notion of racial and religious prejudices being used to influence the selection of contract officers for appointment to permanent service.
“As professionals in the medical sector, we need the best and brightest talent to serve the rakyat. Such talent comes from all races, religions, creeds, ethnicities and genders.
On Wednesday, Dr Adham issued a statement acknowledging PPKAM and Islamic Medical Association of Malaysia’s call for the government to review the recruitment and posting of new medical graduates in the ministry.
He said the matter was proposed to ensure that medical graduates, especially Bumiputeras, can serve on a permanent basis, and to reduce the unemployment rate among professionals. – The Vibes, June 27, 2021
