Last Minute Hospital Placement For Medical Officers Should End
Every year, young doctors get last minute news of their hospital placement and have to report for duty the next day with little to no time to look for accommodation and pack.
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Every year young Malaysian doctors face the same problem once they receive news of their medical officer (MO) placement at the last minute.
Some will have to scramble, pack up, and leave their families at the last minute and report to the hospital the next day.
In cases like these, they don’t even have time to properly search for accommodations so they often go right to work upon touching down.
While it’s not much trouble for those who are placed in hospitals near them, it’s near impossible or unnecessarily troublesome for those who are placed hours away from home or in places such as Sabah and Sarawak.
Frustrated doctors have made their grievances known on Twitter as the problem hasn’t improved.
A netizen claimed on Twitter recently (the post has since been deleted) that she had to relocate her entire life from Pahang to Kedah and after that finding out she’ll be placed somewhere in Sarawak.
After having to downsize her life to a few luggage to fly to Kuching, she was then given a placement 3 to 4 hours away and was told to report herself to work the next day.
The bus dropped her off at a junction right before the town in the dark, she claimed. Fortunately, a kind driver picked her up.
The Twitter user said the whole experience was one of the lowest points in her career and said the system has to change.
Things need to be done better for our future doctors
Other young doctors who faced a similar predicament also shared their experiences.
It appears that these doctors have to report to the state health department first before actually getting news of their placement on the same day.
Due to this, many people wondered whether the relevant departments could inform doctors of their placements way earlier and in an organised manner.
A check on social media showed similar stories from young doctors from the years before.
Hopefully, the Health Ministry could look into the longstanding matter and perhaps update the way of doing things.
A friend said have to report to the state health dept before getting placement on the same day. Cant they just inform things way earlier???? https://t.co/Za6eAUuRU6
— Devendran (@latenessD) January 31, 2023
KKM should stop giving last minute placement notices. MOs are expected to report for duty the next day after hospital placements are given . The need to relocate manpower in facilities which are lacking is understandable, (1/2)
— nixx (@ncileo) January 30, 2023
Lepas tu macam mana diaorg semua ni nak cari rumah? Korang ingat senang ke nak cari rumah? Korang ni mmg tk pernah ada orang complaint ke pasal bende ni? Nak ke tempat baru tu dah lah jauh. Nak cari rumah lagi. Otak korang tak boleh fikir ke? @KKMPutrajaya .
— apikovic (@apikovic) January 30, 2023
Yesss, K*M are pretty notorious for doing everything on short notice. Kalau ada pintu sukahati Doraemon takde masalah.
— Kicap Jalen (@shohlution) January 31, 2023
Suruh lapor diri dekat JKN lepastu baru nak bagitahu bertugas di mana. Negeri kecik takpelah. So outdated and archaic. https://t.co/zxCOVIo4aC
Ni la sistem gila KKM dari dulu. Dulu kena report Sandakan the next day after dapat placement. Only God knows how I dealt with this situation. Turun tangan kosong rumah belum cari kenalan pun tiada https://t.co/JE8FviaebO
— Azfar (@parnipp) January 31, 2023
betul wehh!!! still rmmber wktu nk lapor diri… surat keluar on 31/3 and kena lapor diri on 2/4.. air mata wei nk kelam kabut semua. https://t.co/sMAmnMhEme
— aus (@_Auss__) January 31, 2023
KKM should stop TORTURING your staff!!! Maigodddd. Otak kat mane dohh. Ini kezaliman dan kekejaman. Haishh sakit hati aku. Ini Malaysia kot, bukan Hogwarts staff kau boleh mengwingadium leviosa kn diri terbang ke new placement. https://t.co/3kDsIj544g
— Pattyyyy (@thepatyouknow) January 30, 2023
At the end of the day, medicine is a job. It is not a charity and it cannot run on goodwill.
— Nabilah 🌸 (@BelleZainudin) January 30, 2023
It is sad to see doctors shaming other doctors who do not work in KKM as not wanting to contribute or lupa diri or whatever.
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