PETALING JAYA: Contract doctors are being made to work for more than 24 hours at a stretch – and yet are not being paid overtime.
The Hartal Doktor Kontrak movement says this is unfair, considering that doctors often had to work up to 33 hours at a stretch.
Its spokesman Dr Mustapha Kamal said: “Imagine working from 8am to 5pm on a Monday and then working overtime from 5pm to 8am the next day. After that, we have to continue working our usual shift of 8am to 5pm on Tuesday.
“It is not fair to say that contract doctors do not have the right to our on-call claim as we work hard for it. There must be remuneration for us in terms of working such long hours,” he told FMT.
During orientation yesterday, a new intake of contract doctors were told they were not entitled to claims on their on-call overtime working hours, as it was up to the head of the department or the hospital director whether they should be paid or not.
Asked if doctors could refuse overtime work as they were not getting paid, Mustapha said no. “It is the duty of all doctors to make sure there must be a few in charge to care for patients.”
Mustapha said doctors were paid roughly RM220 on a weekday and RM200 on a weekend for working overtime, adding that these numbers were “peanuts” compared to the workload.
He stressed that doctors should be treated the same whether they were permanent or contract doctors.
“Equal treatment must be given to every doctor as they are just doing the same duty, which is to provide care for the public. It is the right of every doctor to claim overtime. We should be paid extra for our work,” he said.
Mustapha also urged the health ministry to look into this issue and rectify it as soon as possible.
In July, Hartal Doktor Kontrak gave the government 26 days to resolve issues over the contract system or face a nationwide walkout.
At the strike, which was held on July 26, contract doctors demanded for a fair career path and the same benefits as medical officers in permanent positions.