Health minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said the Cabinet had set up a “high-level committee” to look into the plight of contract doctors.

“There have been engagement sessions with the Malaysian Medical Association, relevant parties as well as other ministries.

“The outcome of the engagement sessions have yet to be brought to the Cabinet, but will be soon, along with the recommendations,” she told reporters after the launch of the “Know Your Medicines” programme for persons with disabilities here today.

Zaliha was responding to a statement by the Hartal Doktor Kontrak group, which called for urgent action to prevent the healthcare services from falling into an apparent crisis.

Hartal said the decision to grant permanent placement for 4,000 contract doctors was commendable, but could lead to a “critical healthcare crisis” caused by a lack of manpower in many healthcare facilities when these doctors complete their transition by the end of July.

Separately, during her speech at the event, Zaliha said it was important to educate the public on the proper use of medication and raise the overall “health literacy” of the population, especially among the disabled.

There was a danger for people to “self-consult” without the proper knowledge when it came to purchasing their own medicine, she said.

She said the Covid-19 pandemic showed that health-related misinformation could easily spread among the people, and outreach programmes were crucial to promote the dissemination of accurate information to combat the misuse of medicine.

Zaliha said health agents under the “Know Your Medicines” programme will receive standardised training to empower community efforts on the proper usage of medication.