Dr Kelvin Yii
KUCHING (Nov 17): Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii welcomed the decision by the government to streamline the service grade for contract medical officers from grade UD41 to UD43 to give them the same emoluments as their permanent counterparts.
However, he said the announcement which was made by Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba yesterday, must not be just a mere announcement and that tangible actions and implementations will be done for the sake of our young healthcare workers.
“First and foremost, such a decision was already made in the cabinet under the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government in November 2019, but yet it was slow to be implemented under the current government.
“The minister must be transparent and clarify on when will the upgrade from UD41 to UD43 commence for the contract workers; how much will this cost and has it been allocated in the 2021 Budget; and will this involve all under the UD41 contract who have finished their housemanship and if not, how many are involved,” he said in a statement today.
He said all these must be clarified and stated clearly in the Budget to prove that it’s not merely an announcement.
Apart from that, he also believed that the government should take an extra step in allowing contract workers similar access to perks enjoyed by permanent medical officers as their responsibility, work load and risk are the same.
“It is only a policy decision that can be made at ministry-level which includes access for them to get special leave such as hazard Leave, study leave and so on.
“On top of that, they should be allowed to apply for Hadiah Latihan Persekutuan(HLP) to further their Masters and Specialist degrees at local universities to address the lack of specialists in our country,” he said.
He said the best way to appreciate medical frontliners, especially for their service to the country during the Covid-19 pandemic, was to invest in them and offer them better security of tenure as well as a chance for them to further specialise themselves in their desired Masters Programme.
“This is, of course, in line with the efforts by the government and hospitals to produce more specialists to address the lack of them nationwide and also to improve the quality of healthcare for our patients,” he added.
Dr Adham yesterday said the decision to streamline the service grade for contract medical officers was in appreciation of the services provided by the officers and that the same grade streamlining has also been extended to contract dental officers.