KUALA LUMPUR: The offer of permanent posts to 4,263 contract healthcare workers is expected to be completed by July this year, the Parliament was told.
Deputy Health Minister Lukanisman Awang Sauni said at the moment, the vacancies would be filled by contract workers who were successful in their interview process which were conducted by the Public Services Commission.
"The permanent appointment of these medical contract workers is expected to be completed by July," he said in reply to a question from Datuk Seri Dr Ismail Muttalib (PN-Maran) who asked the Health Ministry to state the immediate measures to prevent medical graduates from moving overseas and the number of contract doctors under the ministry.
The Health Ministry would hold a town hall session with Hartal Doktor Kontrak and junior doctors on Feb 22, says its minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa.
Her announcement came after repeated demands from the Hartal Doktor Kontrak group and other healthcare movements for a meeting with her to hear out the grouses of aggrieved healthcare workers and resolve the problems surrounding the healthcare system particularly the contract system and workforce.
As of Dec 31, 2022, Lukanisman said that a total of 4,333 contract officers had been offered permanent posts while a total of 20,330 officers were still under contract.
"The Health Ministry cannot prevent any medical personnel, including medical officers or specialists from resigning and moving to another place to accept a job offer," he said.
Lukanisman said that among the factors for medical officers or specialists to accept better offers abroad was due to the various incentives and better salary offers given by the overseas healthcare sector, especially in developed countries.
"For medical officers at the Health Ministry, emoluments or the starting salary received by Medical Officer Grade UD41 is RM5,197 with an annual salary increase rate (KGT) of RM225.00 per year.
"The starting salary, in principle, is much higher than the other service schemes at the management and professional group level (Grade 41 and above) in the civil service sector," he said.
To ensure a better career path improvement, he said that medical officers and specialists were also given faster promotions, through time based promotion.
"The Health Ministry through its central agencies will continue to work harder to improve existing incentives and facilities from time to time," he said, adding that the issue of moving abroad was a universal issue that occurs in all fields of work and not only in the medical sector.
