PUTRAJAYA: Controversy over delayed payment of special allowances for medical officers in the country will be resolved soon, said Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.
He said the matter was only brought to his attention recently, but he assured that swift action would be taken.
"I have asked our administration's finance division to address this issue, faced by medical officers in Sungai Buloh Hospital (facility for Covid-19 treatments), as soon as possible.
"Not all hospitals (are facing this issue); so I think only certain officers could have been affected. I was told submissions for the claims were not complete, and we need to look into the details. (Nevertheless), this is not right for our officers on the ground, especially the frontliners," he said at the daily press conference on Covid-19.
Several Members of Parliament recently highlighted the matter, urging the ministry to address the complaints by Sungai Buloh Hospital medical officers.
They said the issue could have arisen due to problems in the payment mechanism.
The special allowance for frontline healthcare workers was announced in March as part of the Prihatin Rakyat Economic Stimulus Package, with their existing special allowance increased from RM400 to RM600 monthly from April 1 until the pandemic ends.