CONTRACT doctors, dentists and pharmacists are entitled to special duty medical leave and tuberculosis, leprosy and cancer leave, Health Ministry (MOH) secretary-general Mohd Shafiq Abdullah said. 

Shafiq was responding to a tweet by the Hartal Doktor Kontrak group on a contract health worker purportedly being told that there was nothing in black and white to state that contract healthcare workers are eligible for the leave and it was simply a word of mouth. 

For the record, former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced in July that contract health workers were entitled to the said leave. 

Shafiq said the Public Service Department agreed to extend the benefit to contract healthcare workers and MOH was informed of the same on Monday. 

“In line with that, a circular has been issued to all heads of department under MOH on the approval and implementation of the leave benefit,” he said. 

Civil servants who suffer from leprosy and cancer can take paid leave for a period of not more than 24 months while those who are down with tuberculosis will be entitled to paid leave for a maximum of 12 months. 

In the tweet, a health worker whose identity was not revealed, said she had been diagnosed with stage 2 triple negative breast cancer, adding that she was told that she was not entitled to the said leave. 

She added that it was impossible to endure cancer treatment, rehabilitation as well as emotional and mental challenges and to be back on her feet in 30 days. 

She had therefore sought clarification on the matter. – December 30, 2021.