MMA to PM: Heed strike rumours, reform healthcare now

The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) today urged Putrajaya to take rumours of an unplanned strike by healthcare workers seriously.

While MMA does not condone strikes, its president Dr Muruga Raj Rajathurai said they understand the frustration and burnout experienced by healthcare workers over issues that have been unresolved for years.

“The issues they are facing are not new, they have been around for years, with little or no change,” he said in a statement today.

“There are still not enough permanent positions to give doctors on contract secure employment. Our public healthcare facilities are still overcrowded, there are still shortages in manpower, and most healthcare workers are overworked and underpaid.

“These issues have been brought up in a number of meetings with the Health Ministry and various press statements issued by MMA over the years,” Muruga added.

Every government change in the past four years brought renewed hope to healthcare workers that their plight might be addressed, he said.

However, he lamented that they still find themselves in the same predicament as none of the previous administrations could resolve their issues.

Thus, MMA called on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who touted himself as a reformist, to transform the healthcare system now that he has the power to do so.

“Issues in the healthcare system are a result of failed policies of the past. The PM now has the opportunity to right the wrongs of the past with reforms.

“Examples include the commercialisation of medical education which has led to the mushrooming of medical schools and the contract doctor system which was introduced in 2016.

“We hope that the current prime minister as a reformist himself, with the power he now has after waiting over 30 years, will right the wrongs of the past.

“We wish to remind the prime minister that Malaysians have not forgotten all the promises made on improving healthcare during the 15th general election campaigning period by his political coalition and MPs who are now in government,” Muruga added.

Several days ago, Ipoh Timor MP Howard Lee raised the alarm about a potential unplanned strike by healthcare workers.

According to the DAP leader, he learnt of the possible strike from over a dozen contract and full-time government doctors across the country.

Pushed to the brink

A number of government hospitals had reportedly been facing problems of overcrowding, which pushed their already thin workforce to bear an increasing workload.

Earlier this month, The Star reported that the situation at some emergency departments at government hospitals was so bad that the wait time for beds can stretch to two days or more.

Doctors who spoke to the daily on condition of anonymity said the congestion was mainly caused by the shortage of beds and manpower crunch.

Among the hospitals which had been identified as having such problems was the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Klang, Selangor, which in early February had to close its emergency department to non-critical cases.

An online poll by health news website CodeBlue recently found widespread dissatisfaction and anger among government healthcare workers.

It claimed the feelings were not limited to contract medical officers who protested their treatment last year.

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