Healthcare workers need real reform, not a 'toothless' commission - senator

The establishment of the Health Services Commission will not bring meaningful change to healthcare workers if it is not granted real authority to resolve shortages of personnel, permanent posts, and remuneration schemes, said a DAP senator.

Dr RA Lingeshwaran expressed disappointment over the Health Ministry’s approach, which remains committed to setting up the commission while acknowledging that the body would lack real power.

“Since 2023, I have been championing the establishment of this commission. If critical powers remain under the Public Service Department and the Finance Ministry, what then is the purpose of this commission?

“This commission should not merely act as a human resource management body. Its scope must be broader and aligned with the reform agenda of the Health White Paper.

“It needs to address manpower planning, staff shortages, permanent positions, career progression, and the overall welfare of healthcare personnel,” he said in a statement today.

Earlier, Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad reiterated the ministry’s commitment to establishing the Health Services Commission in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.

However, the proposed body lacks the authority that healthcare workers had envisioned.

'Solutions needed, not mere announcements'

Since 2023, contract doctors’ group Hartal Doktor Kontrak has urged the government to expedite the creation of both the Health Services Commission and the Health Reform Commission.

The group noted that such commissions are vital to ensuring job security and the overall welfare of healthcare workers in Malaysia.

“As a doctor and former hospital director, I understand the real issues faced by healthcare workers. They need solutions, not mere announcements,” Lingeshwaran stressed.

In light of this, Lingeshwaran urged Dzulkefly to ensure the proposed commission is granted the appropriate mandate and statutory powers before it is officially established.

He added that public funds and time should not be wasted on setting up a body that exists only in name without the capacity to bring meaningful change to long-standing issues affecting the healthcare sector.

“Healthcare workers require genuine reform, not a toothless commission,” he added.

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