PUTRAJAYA must do more to ensure that front-liners are being taken care as they continue to fight the coronavirus pandemic, said Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching.  

She said several important issues have been raised regarding manpower at the front line, as well as the welfare of the healthcare workers.

Teo said the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) in a letter to the 219 MPs had highlighted among other things the lack of human resource in public healthcare, critical allowance, staff annual leave and service grade for contract doctors.

“It is therefore truly disappointing when healthcare workers had to resort to writing to Members of Parliament, informing us of the chronic, serious issues affecting them.

“I am dismayed at this surprising news, as these are basic components in our healthcare workers’ welfare that should have been addressed.

“It is very important to look after our healthcare workers, as they play a very important role during this pandemic,” she said in a statement today.

The former education minister called upon the government to ensure adequate manpower at the front line.

“Working in an environment with a high risk of infection, it is inevitable that healthcare workers may contract the disease, and sometimes have to undergo quarantine,” she said.

“These enforced periods of absence lead to increased workload for their colleagues on duty, and consequently further raising the risk of burnout,” she said.

She said it is imperative for the Ministry of Health to communicate effectively with the Public Service Department to ensure adequate manpower at the frontlines.

Teo also noted that during tabling of Budget 2021, Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz had promised 35,000 job opportunities in the public sector, with priority to fill up positions such as nurses, medical attendants, social welfare officers and temporary teachers.

“The government should explain how many of these 35,000 positions have been filled,” she said.

Meanwhile, she added it was a matter of concern that the promotion in the service grade of contract doctors from UD41 to UD43, which had been promised to them by the minister of health in 2020, has yet to be implemented.

“This is a source of frustration for many contract doctors (MMA estimates the number to be around 10,000), as it denies them fair remuneration, despite them taking on the same amount of workload and responsibility of UD43 equivalent,” she said.

Teo also called upon the government to look into childcare services for healthcare workers who are unable to work from home.

She said the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (KPWKM) should establish childcare centres capable of catering to the children of healthcare workers, keeping in mind their sometimes-erratic working hours.

“Our healthcare workers are our last line of defence against the Covid-19 pandemic and future healthcare crises to come. We should and we must resolve these issues to reverse the silent brain drain from our nation,” she said. – February 22, 2021.