In a 1-minute video posted on TikTok today, Zaliha told the protesters to “think wisely”, saying that going on strike will not solve the problems in the healthcare system.

“For all those that are part of it (the strike), or are planning to join, we need to understand that this will not solve the problems we are facing.

“Instead, we should come face-to-face (to discuss),” she said.

Zaliha added that as a doctor, she understood and acknowledged the issues plaguing the public healthcare system, which included manpower shortage, long working hours and overcrowded facilities.

“If I can, I wish to settle it today, but we need to understand that this needs more time for me to take a deeper look into the problems, and find the best possible solutions,” she said.

According to a report by Malaysiakini, Ipoh Timor MP Howard Lee raised concerns about a possible strike by public healthcare workers.

The DAP Youth chief said he learnt about the possibility of a strike from over a dozen contract and full-time government doctors across the country.

Yesterday, the Malaysian Medical Association president Dr Muruga Raj Rajathurai said in a statement that he was not surprised to hear about the possible strike, adding that the healthcare system and its human resources had been “stretched to its limits” for years.