PUTRAJAYA would not be able to provide permanent postings to all contract doctors this year, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said, adding it will take three years to resolve this long-standing issue.

“They (contract doctors) have worked for so long and this problem (permanent postings) has been prolonged,” the Tambun lawmaker told the Dewan Rakyat today.

He was responding to a question from Wilfred Madius Tangau (Tuaran-PH), who asked the prime minister to state the total number of contract medical officers in the public service and the financial implications involved if they are absorbed into permanent positions. 

Anwar said more than 12,000 contract doctors are expected get permanent postings within a three-year span. 

He said plans have already started, noting the government’s allocation of RM19.7 billion to the Health Ministry (MOH) in Budget 2023. 

“In Budget 2023, there was an increase of RM3 billion to RM19.7 billion in allocation to the MOH. This is not a small amount compared with 2022,” Anwar said. 

“Of the RM3 billion increase, RM1.2 billion is for increase in annual salaries, RM1.1 billion is for appointments to permanent positions from contract officers and RM600 million for additional allocations for the needs of contract officers. 

“So, for 2023, the additional (allocation) to contract doctors and also the absorption as permanent officers is RM1.7 billion. 

“So we expect within three years we can absorb the 12,800 contract doctors who are there now because this year alone, we absorbed 4,300 contract doctors to permanent posts,” he added. 

Anwar said there are a total of 20,333 contract doctors appointed by the MOH, of whom 12,800 are housemen.

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

Mogok Doktor Malaysia estimated some 8,000 contract doctors will take part and warned the public to expect longer waiting times at public health clinics and hospitals on these days.

The group demanded 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.

Anwar expressed his appreciation to all the contract doctors for not going ahead with the plan to go on strike in protest against their pending employment issue.

The prime minister also announced that the government has agreed for the on-call allowance to be extended to medical officers at six health clinics involved in the pilot project to tackle the overcrowding issue in hospitals as well as to those working in the emergency department.

He said even though the current rate of the on-call allowance is appropriate, it needs to be raised as the allowance did not include doctors working in health clinics or hospital emergency departments.

The government has also agreed that the payment of the allowance be extended to include weekends.

“I have also asked the Public Service Department and the Ministry of Health to look into this facility so that the on-call allowance could be extended to all other than medical officers,” Anwar said. – April 4, 2023.