Zaliha told the Dewan Rakyat that a health reforms commission would address the issues raised by the doctors, adding that she “took note” of their complaints.

“We will include this in the health white paper later, and form a health reforms commission, which is more complete than a health services commission.

“The reforms commission will make sure the (recommendations) in the health white paper are implemented properly,” she said in response to a question from Dzulkefly Ahmad (PH-Kuala Selangor).

Dzulkefly, a former health minister, had asked the minister about the planned strike and the ministry’s measures to address medicine shortages since mid-last year.

He called for a health services commission to be formed immediately to address problems faced by medical workers, especially contract doctors.

A group known as “Mogok Doktor Malaysia” has claimed that about 3,000 government contract doctors could resign en masse while 8,000 could join a strike next month.

They are upset that their demands – from an increase in pay and the allocation of permanent posts – have fallen on deaf ears.

Yesterday, health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah urged the group not to go on strike, saying it was not the best solution.

Noor Hisham warned that going on strike could come at the expense of human lives, while acknowledging that the issues doctors faced needed to be resolved.