Previously, contract doctors recruited on a permanent basis were denied such claims.

However, the PSD has reportedly amended its regulations to include contract employees in the definition of government officers who are eligible for making claims.

They can now request for reimbursements for transport, shipping and hotel stays according to the listed rates, but the directive is effective from its date of issue – Oct 9 – which means doctors posted before that are not entitled to claim.

In July, the section concerning house officers and medical officers (Schomos) of the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) had criticised the health ministry for not allowing contract doctors to claim for interstate posting expenses.

Schomos said the denial of claims prompted the exodus of contract doctors from public service, with 1,354 of them quitting last year, a big jump from the 769 in 2021.

There are an estimated 29,000 contract doctors in public healthcare facilities, with more than 3,000 entering the service as housemen annually.

Schomos cited the example of a doctor who had to spend about RM5,000 to move his belongings, which included his car, by sea to Sabah, adding that many of them had to take out loans to cover their expenses.

“How many doctors do you want to lose?” it had asked the ministry.

When contacted, a Schomos official said that while it welcomed the long overdue move, it urged the PSD to consider backdating the directive to enable those who were posted before to submit their claims.

“In the interest of Malaysia’s Madani principle, we hope the government will allow those who were posted before the Oct 9 circular to make the claims,” he said.