KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 20 — The Public Services Department (PSD) has confirmed reports that only performing scholars will be offered permanent contracts at public hospitals.
In an email response to a query by Malay Mail Online, the agency said that the government is currently looking at alternatives on how to absorb scholars who failed to secure permanent jobs despite being offered housemanship contracts by its hospitals.
“Students who qualify for our scholarships are excellent students. With that we hope that they can continue to display similar performance as they do with their studies, and show high commitment when executing their duties under their housemanship contracts so that they can be offered permanent jobs,” the agency said.
“Nevertheless, the government is currently looking at several alternatives should PSD medical scholars already offered housemanship contracts fail to secure permanent jobs once their contract ends,” it added.
Yesterday Malay Mail Online reported that public hospitals will only offer permanent contracts to house officers based on their performance, and not to any government scholarship students.
Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah confirmed that the government started the first intake of contract housemanship last December 5, with PSD scholars among the graduate doctors on contract as no permanent positions were offered at all.
“Based on merits, not based on scholarships,” Dr Noor Hisham told Malay Mail Online, when asked if PSD scholars will be prioritised for permanent positions given that they are bonded to the government.
“Bond still the same and when they are absorbed to permanent post, their service from Dec 5 will be taken into permanent service too,” he added.
Dr Noor Hisham also confirmed that permanent positions for graduating house officers were not guaranteed.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam reportedly said last October that offering contract housemanship would help about 2,600 graduate doctors on the waiting list every year, saying that they could wait for up to a year because there were not enough permanent positions.
