This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on July 5, 2021 - July 11, 2021

The issue of the position of contract doctors and other healthcare professionals has been raised time and again even before the Covid-19 pandemic. However, ever since the system was set up in November 2016, their plight seems to have fallen on deaf ears.

Not only are the contract doctors being asked to work long hours like their peers in permanent positions, but they also enjoy fewer benefits.

With Covid-19 cases still stubbornly high, they have been forced to work long hours despite their uncertain future. They are not entitled to extended unpaid leave and opportunities for further education, unlike permanent doctors.

Now that a group of contract doctors is calling for a work strike on July 26, it is imperative that the government pay heed to their woes.

It is estimated that around 80% of the doctors at vaccination centres are junior doctors, most of whom are on contract. If a large enough number of them stop working on July 26, it could halt the vaccination drive, which is key to getting Malaysia out of the pandemic.

There are 35,216 contract healthcare professionals, comprising 23,077 medical officers, 5,000 dental officers and 7,139 pharmacists.

One of the reasons the government is still not hiring permanent doctors in big batches is because of the lack of funds allocated to the Ministry of Health. The RM31.9 billion set aside in Budget 2021 translates into only 2.2% of the country’s projected gross domestic product.

This is lower than in 2018, when the allocation was around 4%.

According to World Bank data, in 2018, the Malaysian government’s spending on healthcare as a percentage of GDP was lower than that of its peers in the same income bracket. For example, in 2018, South Africa spent 8% of its GDP on healthcare, while both Argentina and Brazil spent 10% of their GDP on it.

In coming to a middle ground, all parties must keep their heads amid the pandemic that is still raging in the country.

For the government, there must be clear pathway towards some job security for young contract doctors and other healthcare professionals to ensure that they are not sidelined.

For the contract doctors, they should remain steadfast in their duties and not put patients’ lives at risk on July 26.

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