THE Health Ministry (MOH) has warned contract doctors against taking part in a strike tomorrow, calling it an illegal gathering.

It cited a circular by the Public Service director-general on June 30, which states that civil servants are prohibited from participating in any form of illegal gathering.

“Participation by civil servants in illegal gatherings is a violation of rule 4(1) and 4(2),” it tweeted, citing the Peraturan Pegawai Awam (Kelakuan dan Tatatertib) 1993.

The ministry defined the participation as an “active involvement outside during work hours” and “using work hours and leaving work to watch and join an assembly”.

“Civil servants must not conduct their work or behave in ways that will conflict with their duties and effectiveness as civil servants,” it said in the post.

Yesterday, Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said her ministry has agreed to establish a special high-level committee to look into contract doctor issues.

She made the announcement as a group of doctors prepare to go on strike from Monday to Wednesday over salaries and benefits.

She said the issue was something that has been inherited from previous governments and had been a problem since the contract system was introduced in 2016.

Last week, a group of frustrated contract doctors, known as Mogok Doktor Malaysia, called on fellow contract staff to show solidarity by either taking emergency or medical leave from Monday to Wednesday over grievances about the system and low wages.

The group estimated that some 8,000 contract doctors will take part and warned the public to expect longer waiting time at public health clinics and hospitals on these days.

The group demands absorption of all contract medical officers into permanent positions without any conditions or interviews; basic salary increment; higher on-call rates; a resolution to the shortage of specialists, medical officers and house officers; and an automatic reduction in the compulsory service term for medical officers to three years.

On July 26, 2021, another group of contract doctors under the banner of Hartal Doktor Kontrak held a nationwide strike to urge the government to offer contract doctors better terms and permanent positions.

The group also called for another strike six months later but it was called off when then health minister Khairy Jamaluddin said he would raise the issue with the cabinet.

The latest call for strike is not associated with Hartal Doktor Kontrak. – April 2, 2023.