Contract Medical Officer Pleads For Better Treatment From Malaysian Health Ministry
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Malaysian doctors are voicing concerns over their future in the national public healthcare system.
Taking the liberty to speak on behalf of his fellow contract medical officers (MO), Twitter user Amirul Azhar issued a public plea to the Malaysian Health Ministry, its minister Datuk Seri Dr. Adham Baba, and the Health Director-General Datuk Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah, regarding the job security, welfare and unfair treatment of junior doctors in civil service.
In the Twitter thread, Dr. Amirul claimed that Malaysian MOs on contract with the government, who have been diligently serving as frontliners in the nation’s fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, are not being fairly compensated for their hard work.
Salam boss @DGHisham, please spend some of your precious time to read this thread. We hope you could be our voice. On behalf of all contract medical officers-
— Amirul Azhar (@amirull18) July 17, 2020
Cc: @DrAdhamBaba @KKMPutrajaya
Dr. Amirul also shared his anguish over allegations that he and his fellow MOs on contracts would be excluded from being promoted from their current UD41 civil service grade to the higher paid, permanent position of UD44.
Revealing that Malaysia’s junior doctors and contracted MOs were among the first to be scrambled in response to the pandemic, according to Dr. Amirul, many of the country’s doctors are underpaid, overworked and under tremendous loads of physical stress.
We followed the order, because the pekeliling told us it is wajib, no other option. Our future are in the dark, some couldn't take it anymore. They quit, some went to serve in other countries, some joined university hospitals, some even stopped being a doctor.
— Amirul Azhar (@amirull18) July 17, 2020
Dr. Amirul asks that the government place more effort in addressing the plight of Malaysia’s medical professionals that have proven their worth during the nation’s time in need.
Please fight for us. #kitajagakita means nothing if we keep treating our junior doctors as disposable. Gov should offer all the contract medical officers permanent positions, to thank them for risking their life to protect us from covid19. If they quit, its your loss, Malaysia.
— Amirul Azhar (@amirull18) July 17, 2020
Dr. Amirul’s concerns stem from an ongoing problem with the nation’s overloaded and underfunded public healthcare system.
Reportedly, Malaysian MOs on contract with the government under the UD41 grade are being paid less than their permanent counterparts that are compensated based on the UD44 grade.
Moreover, junior doctors on contract are also excluded from receiving financial aid under the national Hadiah Latihan Persekutuan (HLP) scholarship program to further their studies, instead having to pay out of their own pockets to pursue specializations.
Let’s do our best to look out for the interest of those responsible for our lives, shall we…
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