THE police will be questioning the contract doctors who went on a strike at Kuala Lumpur Hospital this morning, Dang Wangi police chief Mohamad Zainal Abdullah said.

According to Zainal, an investigation paper has been opened against the doctors for violating the movement control order (MCO).

“We are investigating the protest at HKL because under the MCO, no demonstration or any social gathering, such as wedding or sports activities, are allowed to take place without getting the approval from the director-general health,” he said today.

This morning, hundreds of contract doctors went on a strike nationwide to demand the government provide them permanent posts.

The strike started at 11am despite police presence at various hospitals.

Clad mostly in black, the doctors held placards which read “We are future specialists” and “Specialists in the making, yet our future is aching”.

About 50 doctors gathered in support of the strike at HKL. They dispersed peacefully roughly 25 minutes later.

Photos of the strike at the hospital showed police checking the MyKad of participating doctors.

The nationwide walkout went ahead despite Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s announcement that the government would extend their contract before a permanent solution could be put in place.

The Hartal Doktor Kontrak group behind the protest rejected the offer as “half-baked” and said it was not the solution they were looking for.

Director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah last night requested contract medical officers to not to go ahead with the strike given the state of the current crisis, adding it was counter to the Hippocratic oath.

Data from the ministry showed that a total of 23,077 UD41 grade contract medical officers were selected for graduate training and compulsory service between December 2016 and May 2021.

However, only 789 of them were offered permanent positions, leaving many in limbo while many others have applied for jobs overseas. – July 26, 2021.