THE Malaysian Health Coalition is concerned with the increasing reports of burnout among healthcare providers. This trend is unsurprising because they have fought on the front-lines for nearly a year. We must perform our duty to care for them, as they are caring for us. 

We strongly urge the government to do better for our front-line providers:

Strengthen mental health and psychological support

The pandemic has taken a mental and emotional toll on everyone, especially workers who have dealt with its impact first-hand. There must be adequate mental health support for all of them, both on the front-line and support functions. This support must be strengthened for the immediate term as well as for the long term. Mental and emotional recovery from the pandemic will take time, so this infrastructure must be in place to ensure the workers get the support they need for years to come.

Listen to the pleas of front-line providers

There has been an influx of social media posts and reports from workers pleading for better working conditions. We urge the government to heed their calls for help and establish a safe and healthy working environment for all workers on duty. They must be allocated proper rest, given proper nutrition, and adequate safety and protective equipment. The World Health Organisation recommends this five-step plan to keep both workers and patients safe. Policymakers must remember that front-liner safety is patient safety.

Provide permanent posts and job security

We refer to our previous statements (dated September 14, 2020 and November 2, 2020) and echo the recent call by many professional societies to create more permanent posts as well as extend the contract duration for medical officers and other professionals. The current contract system limits their ability to undergo postgraduate training and specialise. Moreover, many front-line professionals will not have adequate job security after the pandemic. Our front-liners deserve to be recognised for their sacrifices; we must do so by securing their careers and consequently, the future of our health system.

We know our front-liners will continue to sacrifice until the pandemic is fully eradicated, because of their sense of duty. Our health professionals have performed their duty to care for us, and we must perform our duty to care for them. – January 23, 2021.

* The Malaysian Health Coalition is an apolitical coalition of Malaysian health professional societies, health professionals and citizens.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.