PKR president Anwar Ibrahim has urged the cabinet to review the move to end critical service allowances for professional civil servants.

"This should be discussed in the first cabinet meeting of 2020. The government should take into account the worries expressed by the people," he said in a brief statement today.

He added that ministers should also voice their views in the cabinet meeting.

Last week, the Public Service Department issued a circular stating the end of the critical service allowance for new hires as well as eight other allowances.

This affects doctors, nurses, engineers and a score of other professionals who will be joining the public sector next year.

Those who already receive the critical allowance will continue to do so, including contract workers whose contracts are renewed.

A frequently asked questions (FAQ) that accompanied the circular states that the critical allowance was introduced by the government in 1992 for jobs that were difficult to fill and had low recruitment.

However, a 2019 review found that these jobs no longer met those criteria. Following this, a cabinet committee on civil service chaired by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad decided that existing recipients would continue to receive the critical allowance but not new hires.

The critical allowance amount ranges between 5 to 15 percent based on the monthly base salary of the recipient, with nurses getting the highest amount (15 percent).

Medical officers, pharmacists and lecturers in these two fields, meanwhile, receive a flat rate of RM750 per month.

Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad had expressed shock over the cuts, while Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman said the government should be docking the allowances of politicians and ministers instead.

The PSD, in response to public outcry over the matter, said the allowances for civil servants are under constant review and may be reinstated if any service schemes meet the necessary criteria.