Contract doctors slam health ministry over delay in permanent postings

The health ministry has come under fire from contract medical officers following delays to the e-placement process for permanent positions involving more than 2,000 doctors.

The medical officers received their letters of appointment to permanent positions from the health ministry on Feb 5.

On Feb 27, they were asked to apply for postings through the e-placement system.

One of them said that the majority of medical officers had succeeded in getting their desired placements.

"And we thought it was such a happy ending for everyone of us. But here's where the health ministry's games began," user @tya_roslan wrote on Instagram, acknowledging that her open criticism of the ministry was against the rules for civil servants.

She said the medical officers learnt through the media on Feb 27 that their placements  had been cancelled.

"There was no official statement from the health ministry, no press conference, no explanation of any sort.

"We contacted the related people, but nothing happened. They said we needed to wait because the system was down during the e-placement process on Feb 27, causing 'maldistribution'.

"At first we resisted, but in the end we agreed to do the placement process again on March 17."

But the contract doctors were informed through email that the e-placement exercise would be postponed yet again.

Tya's post elicited support from some who questioned the efficiency of the health ministry.

"I feel bad for the doctors in this country. Many want to join the government service but they cannot due to the disorganised administration. Even when we change governments, this stays the same," said @syafiqachemat.

Others meanwhile zoomed in on Dzulkefly himself.

"We never had a health minister fail twice before like this," Aidil Idham wrote, referring to Dzulkefly's two tenures as health minister.

"This minister is really bad – he's held the health portfolio twice and both times he's failed. Weak during the Covid-19 crisis and now, weak about the human resources issue. Whether it's an external crisis or an internal crisis, he can't handle either one. It would be better for him to just resign."

Meanwhile, the group known as Hartal Doktor Kontrak, which organised the strike of 2021, listed down the government's failures including the push for staggered working hours and the increase in working hours for nurses from 42 hours a week to 45.  

Both policies were cancelled after receiving public backlash.

"Some say this is the worst leadership crisis in the ministry since the Covid-19 pandemic," it said.  

"Maybe there is some truth to that."