Pagalavan's Avatar

Year 2005 : “Revenge of the Sith” to “Goblet of Fire”

The Dark Lord Rules………………?

 Finally, the year 2005 is coming to an end. Year 2004 was a “Year of Resignation” as I have written in June Berita MMA but how was the year 2005.When I first got elected into the SCHOMOS Exco in June 2004, Dr.Kujlit and the gang saw some light in the coming months. This was because it was jut 3 months after the General Election and for the first time we saw a doctor being appointed as the Health Minister. We were all very happy to hear that and immediately in May 2004, MMA had its first meeting with our Honourable Health Minister. Upon taking over the office, he had brought forward many problems and grouses among the health staff to the attention of the cabinet. He made announcements regarding the review of allowances for doctors and paramedics and visited all the hospitals in the country.

So, with great expectations, we all waited. Come September 2004, there was no mention of any allowance increase in the Budget 2005 speech by our Honourable Prime Minister except for the announcement of “Full Paying Patient System” which would be initiated in Selayang and Putrajaya Hospitals as pilot project. This was really disheartening for SCHOMOS as we were fighting for “Private Wing” in ALL government hospitals right from the beginning but unfortunately it was sidelined to “Full Paying Patient System” in only 2 hospitals. Imagine the amount of paper work that we had t put up for this issue……(as of today I understand that it may only be starting in Selayang Hospital probably in January 2006).But our Health Minister subsequently have conveyed the message that the increase in allowances is coming and currently in final stages of approval at the Treasury. At the same time, the full effect of SSM took place in 2004 and had brought disastrous effect to all government doctors. The grouses on PTK reached epidemic proportion among the doctors. At the end of 2004, we saw nothing that has changed in the Ministry of Health (MOH). Thus, many doctors who were impatience called it a day and the MOH lost many doctors to the “Dark Site”.

 “May the Force be with Us” in the year 2005? The year 2005 stared off with a “bang” of the world’s deadliest Tsunami hitting Southeast Asia. The same Tsunami was hitting the MOH as well. Many more doctors continued to resign so much so there are some sub-speciality training and units affected. At the time of me writing this article, Hospital Sultanah Aminah, Johor Bahru do not have a Neurologist, Gastroenterologist and Haematologist. What a shame for the biggest hospital in southern region of Malaysia? Far up the north, we have lost the Head of Cardiothoracic in MOH. Who is going to run the Cardiothoracic service in Serdang Hospital is still questionable. I was also made to understand that there may not be any Urologist going to Serdang Hospital even though it suppose to be a Urology Centre, as a few Urologist have already resigned. Why is this happening…………..?

 Beginning 2005, we saw some effort was aken to bring changes to the PTK. Workshop was held to convert PTK into CPD. We were told that the Continuing Professional Developmet (CPD) would take effect from July 2005 but till today, there has been no sign of it taking place. Again we wait……………… As we wait, the dark force is slowly but surely taking over the minds of the MOH doctors. “Twisted by the dark site, the minds of our MOH doctors are”. The power and the twisted influence from the “Siths” were just too difficult for anyone to resist.

 In March 2005, we saw another great expectation of SCHOMOS taking his office in the MOH. It was none other than Dato’ Dr Hj. Ismail Merican, our Director General of Health. Immediately upon taking over the office, we saw many changes taking place in MOH. We had high hopes of him as a “Jedi” who would bring peace and harmony to the galaxy of public doctors. But the force of the “Dark Side” is just too irresistible. Our DG made visits to all hospitals and has promised that he would promote all gazetted specialists to U48 from the date of gazettement. This had brought much happiness to almost 200 over U41 specialists who were caught as a victim of SSM. In our meeting with him on 20^th May 2005, the same promise was made and he had assured us that we might consider it as done. Unfortunately our bureaucracy has always made us “Malaysia Boleh”. It has been 24 months since SSM took effect and no promotional exercise too place. To my knowledge, the proposal paper t promote all U41 specialists to U48 is currently in final stages at JPA office. However, the so called “Memangku Bukan dengan Tujuan Naik Pangkat” to U44 and U52 is currently in MOH awaiting “penempatan” If this list comes out to the doctors, I think we are actually activating “Code 66” as it is going o change all the clones of MOH to the ever-increasing force of the “Dark Side”.

 On the very day of our SCHOMOS AGM in Malacca, we saw the announcement that we have been waiting for almost a year, the increase of “On Call” allowance. Houseofficers allowance has been increased 400% and the rest was about 100%. This has brought much delight and happiness to all MOH doctors. The Houseofficers benefited the most. The specialists who were also waiting for a review of “Specialist Allowance” were disappointed once again. The last time the specislist allowance was reviewed was almost 15 years ago. SCHOMOS proposals to increase this allowance have been rejected many times by JPA at the MBK meetings. The specialists wee also expecting a separate “On Call” allowance for them but this did not materialize.

 July 2005 saw the Health Minister made another announcement for the doctors and paramedics. Over 200 JUSA C post were created for the next 5 years, doctors are allowed to renew contract up to the age of 65 and the tax exemption of “On Call” and “Specialist Allowance” were announced. This brought a big relief for all U54 specialists, as they know that soon they would be sitting at a JUSA C post (hopefully…….). But unfortunately, at the same press conference it was announced that Medical Assisstants and nurses with degrees would be re-appointed to U41. “Disaster Struck Again” as many of the U41 specialists were totally annoyed with this announcement. Couple of months later, there were 2 more circulars released by our JPA friends saying that Dietitian would now be absorbed to U41 P1T1 not C41 and Pharmacist would be starting their salary at U41 P1T3 (previously P1T1). So now, the U41 specialist would be sitting together with MAs, Nurses, dietitians and pharmacists………….. What a disgrace to our specialist?

 September 2005 saw another disappointing budget for doctors. There was no mention of any incentives for the public health sector in the Budget 2006 except for encouragement of Health Tourism for private sector. The “Dark Side” is so influential in their powers once again. They are converting the whole Republic into a “Galactic Empire”. End of September 2005 saw another circular being released by MOH for U44 and U52 “Memangku Bukan dengan Tujuan Nak Pangkat”. These circulars had clearly put “off” many U41 and U48 specialists as they were convinced that they might not be seeing their promised 48 and U54 again for many years to come.

 All the above events had made our SCHOMOS chairman to voice out the doctor’s grouses in his series of “Eerie Silence” articles in September and October Berita MMA issues. He had well written the problems and the expectations of all doctors that were finally yet again vanished into thin air. I made personal visits to MOH office in Putrajaya few times in October and November 2005 to find out whether any new development is taking place. I was amazed to find out that our DG has been doing an excellent job in getting all U41 specialists to U48. The paper to promote all U41 specialists to U48 was finalized at MOH level at the end of October 2005 ad should be at the JPA’s office by now. “Bureaucracy” has always been a stumbling block for any government issues and the same has taken place here. Would JPA agree to it? Well, again we have to wait and see……………. I understand that verbally it has been agreed upon and DG has given his word that “considered it done”. At the same time we heard a wonderful statement from the Parliament, “Doctors would be exempted from PTK” and our DG’s statement in the STAR “Faster promotonal scheme for specialist”. Dato’ Mustapha Mohamed from the Prime Minister’s Department have clearly said that the government have always considered doctors as “special” compared to other government servants. We should congratulate our DG in his efforts. Hopefully these statements would change the scenario for government doctors in the future………………

 Yet again it has been about 2 months since the statements made but no official circulars have been released from the JPA. No one at the “Republic” knows how and when all this would take effect as the “senate” has also been influenced by the “Dark Side”. As such the story goes on………………………. The “Dark Side” is getting stronger as newer private centres are being opened all over the country and attracting more and more of our experienced specialists with their “unnatural” powers. The year 2005 is closing its doors soon and the “Dark Lords” have once again taken over the world. From “Darth Sidious” to “Lord Veldermonth”, the evil has taken its victory for the year 2005. From the “Tsunami” to “Katrina Hurricane” and to the massive earthquake of Pakistan, the world has witnessed 3 deadly disasters in 2005. The disaster is striking the MOH as well, silently and soon the “rakyat” will suffer. Many “White Elephants” are going to appear and probably we need a “Kong” to save us. Would our DG be the “Kong” and the “Jedi” who would bring cheers to our doctors in 2006? Again we do what we do the best, wait……………………………..