by AZREEN HANI/ pic by BERNAMA
THE Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) seeks more details on the Health Ministry’s plan to absorb more contract healthcare workers as permanent staff members, based on available vacancies and creations of new positions.
“This would indeed be welcomed 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,” MMA president Datuk Dr Subramaniam Muniandy said in a statement today.
“It is hoped that the Health Ministry will also provide clarity on its selection criteria for the positions,” he added.
Last week, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba was reported as saying in Dewan Rakyat that the government is ready to absorb contract staff workers to a permanent position based on the vaccines availability and creation of new positions.
In addition, Dr Adham also said that the government is looking to give priority for health care contract workers in Sabah and Sarawak to be assigned in their home states.
The ministry’s commitment to address the issues in positions for contract healthcare workers, Dr Subramaniam said, should be further cemented with a roadmap or 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,” Dr Subramaniam added.
MMA also emphasised on the need to have an overall plan to address manpower shortages across the board in the public healthcare.
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 the growing demand and needs in healthcare.
“We urge the Health Ministry to continually engage with stakeholders towards the improvement and enhancement of healthcare in the country,” said Dr Subramaniam.
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