PETALING JAYA: Malaysia is in danger of losing young and promising doctors who are queuing up to enter the healthcare system on a permanent basis, but are unable to do so due to the shortage of full-time positions, warned Dr Lee Boon Chye.
The former deputy health minister cautioned if these frustrated doctors are not guaranteed secure employment, they will go overseas and the country will suffer from brain drain.
“Under the current situation, current positions are limited and there aren’t enough openings for permanent doctors. But these junior doctors’ grouses are justifiable. This problem has to be addressed urgently or these doctors will head overseas for better opportunities,” he told theSun yesterday.
Medical graduates are offered two-year housemanship contracts, followed by two-year medical officer (MO) contracts.
“During the Pakatan Harapan administration, the Cabinet had approved for these junior contract doctors to be upgraded to the UD43 grade, which is on par with the permanent doctors grade (UD44),” Lee said.
“I raised this matter recently. The ministers have promised to look into it but there is no solution so far.”
Almost 4,000 young doctors, who are serving on a contract basis, will lose their positions in the government service by May 2022 if the government fails to offer them permanent postings.
The Malaysian Medical Association and its alumni associations said less than 15% of MOs on contract have been offered permanent positions.
Apart from salaries, which are lower than permanent doctors, junior doctors on contract are stifled to pursue specialist training as they are not eligible for the Federal Training Prize Programme (HLP), which is a full scholarship by the Health Ministry for doctors to pursue specialisation in local public universities while working.
The HLP is only available to permanent medical officers.
“Junior doctors will have no chance to get specialist training, and this will result in a shortfall of specialists in future. Then, the Masters programme will collapse, as all the students are under the Health Ministry scholarship,” he said.
Lee clarified that quota is not one of the criteria to get permanent positions in the healthcare system.
“Its performance-based, and priority is given to doctors with good performance in their housemanship,” he said.
A recent blog on the MalaysianMedics by Dr Ong Siu Ching summed up the plight of junior doctors.
Ong spoke to a junior doctor who was leaving the country for Australia. The junior doctor had grown increasingly frustrated during his time as a contract MO in a public hospital, citing low salary and being denied the opportunity to pursue the Masters programme due to the nature of his employment.
