JULY 14 — MCA supports the call by Bersih 2.0 that the police should stop investigating doctors involved in the Code Black and Black Monday campaigns.
However, beyond the Constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression as advocated by Bersih 2.0, the crux of the matter that leads MCA to stand with the contract medical officers (MO) in the government service are 2 issues:
1. equal benefits for all government contract MOs
2. transparency in the Health Ministry’s selection for permanent service intake.
Government MOs on contractual service should be granted the same benefits as their permanent counterparts. Irrespective if the MOs are on contract or permanent service, they shoulder the same responsibilities, risks and workload in caring for their patients.
The contract MOs in the civil service also hope that MoH will address their anxieties over the uncertainties of their future once their contracts are completed and not extended. We appeal to MoH to be transparent on the criteria and conditions in the selection process for contract MOs to be given a permanent position.
As fellow frontliners in the war against Covid-19, the police will be able to identify and relate with doctors on the risks and pressure involved in their day-to-day jobs safeguarding the health, security and wellbeing of society.
In the past fortnight, our government hospitals have been unusually overflowing with patients with admissions of new Covid-19 patients daily. Usage of Covid-19 ICU beds has exceeded 100 per cent capacity. Adding to this distress, a shortage of government hospital beds has resulted with even car-parks of government hospitals being converted into wards. These scenarios indicate that the ratio of patients per MO has soared.
Government doctors and healthcare workers have reported of exhaustion and fatigue besides being drained mentally as they combat wave after wave of this pandemic with the number of positive cases Malaysia breaching the 11,000 mark on 13 and 14 July 2021.
During his press conferences and on his social media accounts, Health Director General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham has repeatedly highlighted that our medical frontliners are mentally and physically tired tending to patients day and night for more than a year now.
As all our overstretched MOs, other government hospital staffers and the public health system endure tremendous pressure, now, more than ever, do we, as Malaysians need to motivate them. Any police probe in the Code Black and Black Monday campaigns will only leave an undesired, opposite effect, much to the detriment of the hospital personnel, our public health system and patients at large. Private doctors, civilians and netizens empathise with the plight of contract MOs. Hence, policy empathy is needed, not suspicion.
Chan Quin Er
MCA Spokesperson
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or organisation and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
