Written By : Jivan Daniel Louis
PETALING JAYA: Contract doctors say they hope to see “light at the end of the tunnel” with the appointment of Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and new health minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
The Hartal Doktor Kontrak movement is confident issues will be resolved with the appointment of the duo.
“We believe that with a new prime minister at the helm and Khairy as health minister, many unresolved issues faced by the healthcare workers, especially issues faced by the contract doctors, will be settled in the future,” it said in a statement today.
The group said many contract doctors who had been frontliners for the past two years in the battle against Covid-19 were still uncertain of their future and were hopeful that there will be light at the end of the tunnel for them.
It said it had been a month since the nationwide Hartal Doktor Kontrak strike on July 26, when more than 8,000 contract doctors took part in a walkout as a sign of frustration with the lack of proper planning and solution by policymakers regarding their future.
“Despite this issue being raised by many MPs in the recently concluded parliamentary sitting, including the previous health minister who had promised to resolve the issue, there had been no proper planning proposed by policymakers and the fate of contract doctors still remain bleak,” it said.
The group hoped that an amicable solution will be made soon for the sake of the contract doctors and the nation’s healthcare system in general.
“We also do hope that any discussion regarding the future of contract doctors will also involve the main stakeholders in this issue.
“Lastly, we would like to express our sincerest gratitude to all the frontliners who have sacrificed so much in the battle against Covid-19 and wish that all Malaysians will continue to adhere to the SOPs,” it said.
