LETTER | Awaiting details on permanent posts for healthcare contract workers

LETTER | The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) wishes to thank the Health Ministry for its stated commitment in Parliament to absorb more contract healthcare workers as permanent staff members, based on available vacancies and creation of new positions.

This would indeed be welcome news for the thousands of medical officers on contract and we look forward to more details such as the number of available permanent positions and the timeline for its rollout.

It is hoped that the Health Ministry will also provide clarity on its selection criteria for the positions.

Its commitment to address the issue of providing positions for contract healthcare workers should be further cemented with a roadmap. Otherwise, there will be continued uncertainty and anxiety among our junior doctors with regards to their future.

We also look forward to the Health Ministry’s plans on supporting doctors who are keen on pursuing the parallel pathway for specialisation. The ministry should state how many medical officers will be supported for this programme and its selection criteria.

Apart from medical officers, an overall plan to address manpower shortages across the board in our public healthcare sector is also needed.

Long-term planning will be required to ensure the country has sufficient specialists and allied health professionals serving in public healthcare in the present and in the coming years to cope with growing demand.

We urge the Health Ministry to continually engage with stakeholders towards the improvement and enhancement of healthcare in the country.

DR SUBRAMANIAM MUNIANDY is president of the Malaysian Medical Association.