KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 6 — The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) told MPs and ministers today to experience the public health care system without using their privileges to cut the queue.
The doctors’ group said the impact of an underfunded health care system is already visible, with long waiting times, doctor resignations from public service, and overworked and understaffed teams struggling to meet patients’ high expectations.
“Only by facing the same queues, delays, and limitations can they truly grasp the struggles endured daily by patients and health care workers,” said MMA president Dr R. Arasu in a statement.
“If this situation is not addressed in a structured way, the country risks a breakdown of the public health care system, the very system that millions of ordinary Malaysians depend on every day.
“Around 70 per cent of our population depend on the public health care system for its services.”
MMA noted that government doctors’ on-call allowance rate of RM9.16 per hour has remained stagnant for more than a decade.
“This is far below what is fair and reasonable for the long hours, heavy responsibilities, and sacrifices doctors shoulder every day in the service of Malaysians,” said Dr Arasu.
He cited his own online poll on X with 571 participants that saw 84 per cent agreeing that RM25 per hour was fair and reasonable as an updated on-call allowance rate.
“We believe an adjustment to the on-call allowance is not a tall order. It is a low-cost, high-impact measure that can restore doctors’ morale, help retain talent in the public sector, and ultimately improve patient care. After more than a decade of inaction, what is needed now is decisive leadership,” said Dr Arasu.
“Doctors will continue to serve with dedication, but fairness is long overdue, for the sake of both our health care workforce and the public we serve.”