KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today announced an increase in on-call allowances for selected government doctors and dentists, raising the rate by RM55 to RM65.
"The Health Ministry will implement a new work system in targeted hospitals and health clinics. For these facilities, the government has agreed to increase the on-call allowance for medical officers and dental officers, depending on their specific service and department," he said when tabling the Budget 2025 today.
Currently, government doctors receive RM9.16 per hour for on-call duties, calculated based on the RM220 active on-call rate for public holidays and weekends over a 24-hour period.
With the proposed increase, the new rate will range from RM11.50 to RM11.90 per hour.
Last year, the Malaysian Medical Association advocated for the on-call rate to be raised to at least RM25 per hour.
The Health Ministry also announced in December 2023 its commitment to reviewing the issue of on-call allowances for doctors.