In a circular issued by health director-general Dr Mahathar Abd Wahab today and sighted by FMT, the ministry said graduate medical officers (house officers) are public servants undergoing structured training and must be managed under existing public service regulations and programme guidelines.
Mahathar said the ministry had received feedback over “confusion” in interpreting the 2019 guidelines on the flexible working hours system, particularly regarding implementation across hospitals and leave arrangements.
He said the guidelines must be read in full and as a single framework, as all provisions are interrelated to ensure consistent enforcement.
Hospital directors were instructed to monitor compliance closely, with a clear requirement that house officers’ average working hours be kept within the 60 to 62-hour weekly limit.
The circular also reiterated that working hours must be structured into three fixed flexible shifts – morning, afternoon and night – and that reducing this to two shifts or introducing an on-call system is not allowed.
Hospitals were also told the system must continue regardless of staffing levels. Where only one house officer is on duty, the remaining shifts must be covered by medical officers and specialists to ensure uninterrupted patient care.
They were told that duty rosters must be arranged to maximise daytime working hours for house officers to enhance training exposure and learning opportunities.
Mahathar also confirmed that house officers are entitled to 25 days’ annual leave a year, alongside other statutory leave such as sick and maternity leave.
He said annual leave cannot be substituted or deducted against sick leave, describing such practices as “incorrect” and “strictly prohibited”.
The circular comes after Malaysian Medics International (MMI) found that housemen and medical officers work an average of 65 to more than 85 hours a week, despite the health ministry’s flexi-system limiting house officers’ hours to 65 to 75 hours weekly.
A statement by the medical students’ group, published by health news portal CodeBlue on Wednesday, said junior doctors are also forced to clock in 10 to 15 hours of unrecorded and unpaid overtime each week.
In contrast, it said, junior doctors in the UK typically work about 40 hours a week. Unlike Malaysia, where rest periods and compensation are not strictly enforced, the UK limits continuous shifts for junior doctors to a maximum of 13 hours, MMI said.
Health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said yesterday Mahathar would issue a circular on working hours for junior doctors to address concerns about excessive workloads.