He said the task force is in the final stage of discussions on the matter, Bernama reported.

“I understand the burden carried by health workers. We hope a decision can be reached soon.

“I personally hope a decision can be reached by May because I know they work very hard,” he said at a press conference in Kelantan today.

The on-call duty allowance, or Etap, is compensation for additional responsibilities carried out by medical officers in treating patients while on call at hospitals after normal working hours.

Previously, Dzulkefly was reported as saying his ministry had received approval to increase the allowance for health workers.

“We have already received approval for the increase. We just need to announce the amount. I have been asked to wait for the announcement,” he said.