PAS MP: Only PN responded to contract doctors' plight, not BN, Harapan
PARLIAMENT | A PAS parliamentarian has defended the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government which drew flak over the recent issue of junior doctors working on a contract basis in public healthcare.
Kuala Krai MP Abdul Latiff Abdul Rahman said it was the PN administration that came up with a comprehensive plan to resolve the issue which has been faced by junior contract doctors since the BN era.
"The issue started in...
PARLIAMENT | A PAS parliamentarian has defended the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government which drew flak over the recent issue of junior doctors working on a contract basis in public healthcare.
Kuala Krai MP Abdul Latiff Abdul Rahman said it was the PN administration that came up with a comprehensive plan to resolve the issue which has been faced by junior contract doctors since the BN era.
"The issue started in 2016 during the BN era and continued during the era of Pakatan Harapan all the way to the era of PN," he told the House.
"It must be remembered that only PN responded to the demand of the doctors via an instruction from the prime minister to the Health Ministry to come up with a comprehensive plan to resolve the issue," he said.
Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on July 23 announced in a statement that contract doctors, dentists, and pharmacists would receive perks similar to permanent positions and they would be offered a two-year contract term after they conclude their mandatory service.
Latiff further said, "I personally applaud the efforts of our doctor friends who dare to voice out their views to defend their future careers via direct involvement in the protest as well as those who took care of their patients."
Latiff added that a long-term plan is required to resolve the issue and the government may need to fork out an additional RM2 billion annually.
Meanwhile, Kimanis BN MP Mohamad Alamin said the protest by junior contract doctors yesterday should serve as a wake-up call for the government.
"My wife is also a doctor, I understand the problem faced by the doctors," he said.
He urged the government to immediately absorb them as permanent doctors.
“I urge the government to look into the matter seriously. If it is possible, absorb them as permanent doctors as soon as possible,” he said.
His sentiment is also shared by his colleagues in BN - Kinabatangan MP Bung Moktar Radin and Arau MP Shahidan Kassim. Bung asked the government to do so if the process would not incur any additional financial burden to the government.
The contract system was introduced in December 2016 to address a glut of medical graduates in Malaysia and a lack of training hospitals and permanent positions available for them once they complete their housemanship.
However, this still leaves doctors hired on contract basis with little career prospects, especially for those looking to further their education to become specialists.
READ MORE: Contract medical officers' strike: What is it all about?
Previously, the Harapan administration had attempted to address this issue by limiting the student intake of medical programmes in the country, and increasing the training slots available to graduates.
More recently, in response to growing pressure from the doctors, Muhyiddin announced that contracted medical officers, dentists, and pharmacists will be offered a two-year term after their mandatory service period, and will be offered similar perks as those in permanent positions.
These perks include a fully paid study leave to do their specialisation.
Nevertheless, these measures failed to placate contract doctors’ demands and the group Hartal Doktor Kontrak held a nationwide strike yesterday amid threats of arrests and disciplinary action.
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?
This action cannot be undone.