Budget 2022 failed to address contract doctor struggles, movement vows second ‘hartal’

Budget 2022 failed to address contract doctor struggles, movement vows second ‘hartal’



BUDGET 2022 did not in any way address contract doctors’ struggles which had been highlighted in the past, said the team behind the #HartalDoktorKontrak (HDK) movement pushing for contract medical officers to be given permanent posts.

“It seems that the contract doctor issue and the problems in the country’s healthcare system, which will put the people’s health at risk, are not being taken seriously by Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz,” the team remarked.

The HDK team went on to point out that the Government has not taken any responsible steps to address the matter, and that the promises made by the Government in the past makes little sense and seem to be a waste of time.

Under Budget 2022 which was tabled in Parliament on Friday (Oct 29), the Government announced that the contracts of 10,000 trainee doctors will be extended by another two years.

“Furthermore, the Health Ministry had not offered any objections to the Finance Ministry regarding this matter in defence of the contract doctors,” the team justified in a statement posted on its social media accounts.

“The issues that have been discussed for the past five years remain unresolved. The promise of permanent positions for contract doctors with EPF (Employees Provident Fund) that had often been publicised is nothing but a move to keep us from speaking up.

“Contract doctors have spent almost two years working tirelessly to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, but it seems like their sacrifices are not being appreciated.”

On July 26, hundreds of contract doctors had launched a work-stop strike across the country, defying threats of punishments to protest against the Government’s contract scheme for junior doctors.

The day-long strike, organised by HDK, saw the mass walkout of contract healthcare workers at several public hospitals nationwide.

The healthcare workers were opposed to Government plans to extend appointments on a contract basis as concerns over the lack of career progression persist alongside challenges ranging from mounting student debts to the lack of job security, leaving many with young families under immense pressure.

Following the strike, a special task force – led by the Malaysian Medical Association and the Health Ministry – was established to oversee an amendment of the Pensions Act 1980 in efforts to resolve the issue.

According to Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, the amendment to the Act should allow for permanent employment with EPF payments within two years of all contract extensions given to the 23,000 contract doctors currently employed by the government. – Nov 2, 2021