Stop threats against contract doctors over strike, Puad tells govt

PETALING JAYA: Umno Supreme Council member Puad Zarkashi has urged the government to negotiate with contract doctors rather than impose disciplinary action on those who want to go on strike in July.

He said he understood that there were efforts being undertaken to prevent contract doctors from going on strike as a protest against the lack of clarity over their tenure.

“As contract officers, they are denied rights such as scholarships to become specialists, EPF accounts, housing loans and, of course, career advancement opportunities.

“The Perikatan Nasional-led (PN) government should open the door to negotiations, not threaten to take disciplinary action. At least provide EPF facilities first.

“Contract doctors are some of our tireless frontliners. Let’s support their struggle,” Puad said in a Facebook post.

He said this in response to a story from Malaysiakini which reported that according to sources, a group of contract medical officers from Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital in Terengganu said that they were at risk of facing disciplinary action if they joined the strike action.

According to them, the message came from the deputy director of the Terengganu state health department, Dr Saifur Rahman Muhammad, and was conveyed to about 40 contract medical officers who attended an event at the hospital’s auditorium yesterday.

Puad said there are currently about 23,000 contract doctors who want the security of appointments to permanent positions.

“If dentists, teachers, police, administrative and diplomatic officers, immigration officials and others can be appointed to permanent positions, why can’t they?

“This issue has been going on for years. There is still no solution. For more than a year they have worked as frontliners without a break. So the strike is justified if the government remains deaf.

“Don’t use ‘timing’ and ‘the pandemic’ as excuses. They are not demanding to be rich,” he said. — Free Malaysia Today