In a social media posting today, he said: “I have told Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim that l will revert on this with concrete solutions in the next Cabinet meeting.”

He added: “So guys… this is the time to shoot at me… bring it on… I’m listening.”

Dzulkefly’s post was in response to a claim by the junior doctors’ network of the Malaysian Medical Association that the health service had betrayed their medical officers.

The junior doctors said “excellent irreplaceable medical officers are giving up on the system that has betrayed them” while the health ministry “drafts paragraphs talking about the very ‘aset negara’ they are losing”.

In his response, Dzulkefly said he was fully aware of competent medical officers leaving the national health service.

He said doctors on the seven-year “Contract 4 Service” system are usually offered permanent postings in Sabah or Sarawak. “Invariably they refuse the offer. Then D-Day comes and the seventh year expires … they are laid off,” Dzulkefly said.