KUALA LUMPUR: A group of local contract doctors will be organising a hartal to force the government to provide fairer compensation and benefits based on their job scope.
The group consist of contract doctors from both private and public hospitals who identified themselves under the hashtag, #HartalDoktorKontrak.
Due to their temporary positions in the civil service, the group coordinator who wished to remain anonymous said the strike would consist of three phases starting on July 1.
"It will lead off with a memorandum published on July 1, a press conference and the strike on July 26.
"There are currently 23,000 medical officers including housemen in training. What we want is policy changes to ensure a better and secure future. We have been placed under contract since 2016.
"Now, most of us have been placed under Covid-19 duties or as vaccine consultation doctors at the vaccination centres.
"We were given the same amount of work. Nevertheless, when a colleague got into an accident she was only compensated based on the contract," the coordinator said.
Malaysian Public Health Physicians Association president Datuk Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar had called for comprehensive reform in the health system, including raising the health budget and modify the medical officer's scheme with a permanent post.
"This issue has been with government and the doctors for quite some time. We do recognise that the government faced some constraints in matters related to budget and permanent posts.
"We hope the government will seriously consider the appeal by the doctors. The Health Ministry needs more doctors quite urgently.
"They are ready to serve but the government should give appropriate remunerations, working environment and career development."
The Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) president Adnan Mat proposed against the hartal as it could disrupt the country's public healthcare services, which is already in a critical situation.
He said Cuepacs was prepared to mediate negotiations between the two parties.
"We are prepared to be the mediator to resolve issues faced by the young medical officers over their positions and contract appointments.
"With no employment security and career development, young medical officers find it difficult to plan for the future because they have to wait for their contract to be extended all the time," he said in a statement today.
Adnan said it was wrong for an essential sector under the Health Ministry to be subjected to the Public Service Size Control Policy and the matter must be reviewed.
Cuepacs hoped for the government to resolve the problem immediately and consider permanent appointments to competent contract medical officers.