Govt contract docs in Malaysia blast 'unfair' conditions

Thousands of young contract doctors in Malaysia's public healthcare system, many of them at the forefront of the Covid-19 battle, are revolting over their employment terms.

An online campaign called Hartal Doktor Kontrak (Contract Doctors' Strike) has gained traction over the past week.

Also, MMA Schomos, which represents government doctors, has launched a social media campaign asking Malaysians to wear black for a "Black Monday" in mid-July to show solidarity.

An independent group of doctors plans a walkout on July 26 if their grouses are not addressed by then. They say most of the contract doctors are the ones working in Covid-19 response centres.

Malaysia said yesterday it has recorded 6,437 new coronavirus infections. The last time it reported more than 6,000 daily cases was on June 18, when the country logged 6,440 cases.

The revolt involves more than 20,000 Malaysian doctors who have been offered only contract jobs under a system introduced in 2016. What was supposed to be a stop-gap solution to the government's inability to offer permanent positions has continued and the contracts kept getting extended, and for more medical graduates. Government service is compulsory for new medical graduates for around five years.

These doctors take home significantly lower pay than their predecessors, and do not enjoy most of the benefits that come with working in the civil service. Postgraduate pathways to progress in their careers are also not open to them.

Only 3.47 per cent, or 789 of 23,077 contract doctors, have been given permanent positions.

Medical associations estimate that there are more than 4,000 doctors graduating every year, and this problem will likely be compounded unless the government finds a solution.

"What kind of public healthcare system will we have in 10 years' time? Most of us do not have pathways to specialisation," a contract doctor told The Straits Times on condition of anonymity.

To specialise, contract doctors must quit government service, pay their own way, and then apply to rejoin the government service at the final stage of completing their master degrees.

Should they wish to switch to the private sector without pursuing a postgraduate degree, they need to serve at least 4½ years with the government first.

Contract doctors start at and later progress through lower pay grades in the civil service. Their grade revisions come only via contract renewals, and are not based automatically on years of service, as in the case of permanent staff.

"I have seniors who started their own postgraduate course, but are stuck because they need (placement in the specialisation) before they can complete their courses," said a doctor who just received a new pay grade - but only after nearly three years of service. He did not want to be named.

The Health Ministry has said that hiring doctors beyond the availability of permanent positions was against the government's rightsizing policy, and that such appointments could lead to reprimands by the audit department. It also previously said that Malaysia's ratio of one doctor to every 454 people is in line with the World Health Organisation's recommendations. But doctors are refuting these claims.

Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz last Friday agreed to expedite solutions concerning contract doctors.

But former health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said there was "no quick-fix". And Dr Muhammad Azrin Omar, a former special officer to Dr Dzulkefly, said the whole public healthcare system in Malaysia needed a revamp.