MMA president Dr Muruga Raj Rajathurai said the association is planning to meet the public services department (JPA) and the human resources ministry to resolve the issue of long working hours affecting public healthcare workers and get their views on the policies that are already in place.

He said MMA had received complaints from a number of housemen, who said they frequently had to clock-in to work two to three hours before their shift for administrative duties and to ensure records were up to date.

“Due to the heavy workload, many also have to stay back for two to three hours after their shift ends to finish up their duties.

“Housemen, medical officers and even specialists in public healthcare are, on a regular basis, working many hours beyond their shift but aren’t being fairly remunerated for these extra hours and services they are providing,” he said in a statement.

Muruga Raj said the flat RM600 flexi allowance that public healthcare workers were given did not measure up to the frequent times these doctors have to put in the extra hours.

“If this were to happen in the private sector, it would be seen as exploitation or even bullying. But because it is happening in the government sector, it has long been accepted as national duty,” he said.

He said as healthcare workers had families and financial commitments, they required a healthy work-life balance, adding he hoped the health ministry’s Health White Paper to reform the healthcare system could look into the matter in detail.

Muruga Raj also welcomed health minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa’s announcement last week on the ministry offering 4,914 permanent posts this year, 4,263 of which were for medical officers.

“There is still a lot more work to be done to fix the system but going forward, we are confident that with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Zaliha, who are both reformists, there will be more improvements to come,” Muruga Raj said.