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PETALING JAYA: Groups representing medical professionals have called for more transparency in the government selection process for junior physicians to fill permanent positions in government hospitals.
In a joint statement today, the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) and various medical alumni associations noted that less than 15% of young contracted physicians were offered permanent positions.
Under the current system, they said nearly 4,000 doctors would lose their government hospital positions by May 2022.
According to them, these junior doctors were mostly left in the dark about the selection criteria for permanent posts, as they had only received a general overview of the process from the Ministry of Health.
“This has created confusion and much distress for young doctors, as they are unsure of their future and how they will achieve certain career security.”
MMA and the alumni groups urged the Ministry of Health to make public its selection criteria for permanent positions and to share the ranking system used to select potential candidates.
Referring to the problem as a “crisis in human resource management”, they also called on the ministry to increase the number of permanent positions available and to extend the contracts of doctors for at least 10 years to allow for specialization.
“The pandemic we face is a challenge not only because of its virulence, but also because of its effect on health services that are already overworked, understaffed and overloaded.
“We hope that the sacrifices and services of doctors and other health workers, especially young doctors, will be remembered and fairly rewarded,” they said.
