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Future of government doctors: Die Another Day ? 

                   For years SCHOMOS have constantly fought for the betterment of government doctors. Even though we represent only about 50% of the doctors in the service, we have constantly fought for the rights and better perks for all doctors. From the historic on-call allowance in 1994 to the increase in critical allowance and to the tax exemption of specialist allowance, years of hard work were involved. But what is the future in government service for the doctors? Diamonds are not forever !

                   Currently we fight with the basis that we are overworked and underpaid due to the shortage of doctors. Unfortunately the future may not be on our side anymore. With the basis of shortage of doctors, since mid 1990’s with a “View To A Kill” numerous private and public medical schools were allowed to open in the country. The products of these medical schools are coming out gradually since 2005, increasing the number of doctors starting service every year. It is expected that from 2005 onwards more than 2000 over new doctors would be entering the civil service every year. What is the result of these? Well “For your eyes only………….” :

 Table 1: Unjuran Keperluan dan Pengisian Pegawai Perubatan (2006-2010)

Source : MOH 

                   The table above clearly illustrates that by 2009 we will have surplus of doctors. What does this mean? This will be the time when doctors would be fighting among themselves with a “License to Kill” to get a job and to be promoted. All promotional post would be filled and we need to queue up to get promoted. We may not be able to demand for our promotion then and we just have to keep our mouth shut and except the privilege of being promoted! The same thing that happened to the teachers in 2006 would be happening to us by when we need to wait for a job and go where the service wants us to go. Table below shows the number of post and the filling rate of each grade in MOH (specialist & medical officers) currently;

 Table 2 : Kedudukan Pengisian Dan Kekosongan Jawatan-Jawatan di KKM pada 30 Jun 2006

 Table 3 :Kedudukan Pengisian Dan Kekosongan Jawatan-Jawatan di KKM pada 30 Jun 2006

           Both this table shows that currently almost 50% of the posts are already filled for the specialist and almost 60-90% of the non-specialist posts are also filled. “Tomorrow never dies”, you say? Well, to me it is not going to be “The Living Daylights” anymore but dark gloomy deadly days a head of us. The first table shows the number of new doctors filling up the post and mind you, that we are also increasingly producing more master’s graduates who would also be filling up the specialist post. And don’t forget; “From UK with Love”, the hundreds of doctors who are forced to return to the country due to the new laws in the UK. And always remember that once all posts are filled, we will loose our “critical allowance”. This means a pay cut! 

          Some would say that the numbers of doctors who are leaving the service are not taken into consideration. As what the minister said few weeks ago, the number of doctors resigning from government service has dropped since this year mainly due to the competitive market in the private sector. Medical officers who are resigning have also dropped since April 2006 due the implementation of the Private Health Facilities Act 1998. The Ministry has spread its many hands of “Octopussy” to the private sector, controlling the opening of new private facilities and the fees charged. These together with the National Specialist Registry are all directed towards the implementation of the “Goldeneye”; the National Health Financing Scheme which would change the entire health system of the country.

                   We had a lot of expectations when our current minister and DG took the office as “The Men with the Golden Guns”. Unfortunately there is something known as government bureaucracy and regulations. Many promises that were made went unfulfilled. Yes, the specialist did get their U48 but not as promised. We were promised that we would get the U48 from the date of gazettement and without the need of PTK but unfortunately now we know that there is a PTK and the date of confirmation starts from the date of passing PTK 3. Some doctors lost almost 2½ years of seniority and cannot except the fact that they are at the same spacecraft of “Moonraker” with the colleagues who were gazetted in 2005 and probably only a few months’ difference with 2006 batch. But we should still thank our DG for his efforts for at least getting us a direct “Memangku U48” without having to go through U44. Other than the increase in call allowance and the creation of new JUSA posts for the next 5 years (still not enough in numbers!), nothing much has changed in MOH. 

                   Well, whatever said and done, many of us need to “Live and Let Die” in the government service. We serve the rakyat “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”. There will come a time that we would be told that “if you don’t like the system, you may leave”. Since the “World Is Not Enough” we would be asked to go all over the country for promotions since the posts available are going to be limited. We can “Never Say Never Again”. The administrators are NOT going to be “The Spy Who Loved Us” but rather they would become “Goldfingers” and “Thunderballs”. In near future (not long, just another 5-7 years!), we are going to become “Dr. No”– body and since “You Only Live Once” and not twice, we will “Die Another Day”……………or we may just end up playing “Casino Royale”…………..