YOURSAY | ‘To suppress symptoms is to allow the disease to flare up.’

Civil servants banned from 'illegal gatherings' - Health Ministry reminds

Apanama is back: Strikes, protests, demonstrations or bandh are a basic right in a democracy.

When ordinary people including workers such as doctors are cornered and their dissatisfaction is not heard and addressed properly, they have no other avenue to air their issues.

They will and need to strike. Doctors are highly educated and skilled people. Usually, doctors will not strike. However, when doctors go on strike, that means everything is wrong with the country, especially the Health Ministry.

It exposed the weakness and failures in the administration of the health system. Do you think doctors are crazy to go on strike? I do not think so.

I support their strike even though I may end up in the emergency room on that particular day and no doctor will attend to me. So be it.

This “Mogok Doktor Malaysia” is a cumulative effect over the last seven to eight years or even beyond that. If you do not believe me, ask any government doctors and specialists. Not the directors. Doctors are saying, "Enough is enough!".

But here we have a so-called hoax and “wayang” (charade) Madani with false hope saying it will be an illegal gathering. Go fly a kite with your reminder.

This reminder is a pre-empt and also intimidation. I would like to call upon all the doctors out there, to go and “mogok” (strike) from April 3 until 5.

They can’t do anything to you. This health minister is hopeless!

If I were the health minister, I would let the strike proceed as usual. Then we sit down and talk. It is not a big deal. Let the doctors air their dissatisfaction.

Not bitten Twice: Wrong strategy. To suppress symptoms is to allow the disease to flare up even more.

Is Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim going now to meet the doctors and stakeholders? Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa is hopeless and no one listens to her any more.

I believe only Anwar can stop this strike by meeting the doctors. If he can meet university students, then why not doctors?

Anwar, I beseech you to stop this feeling of discontent and unhappiness amongst the doctors before it is too late.

For a start, give us a new health director-general.

ScallopEatMcD: If the government is sincere in wanting to resolve the contract doctors' problem, they would have announced the timeline and milestones.

Why drag your feet if you already decided to resolve it? Why not immediately announce instead of letting the contract doctors guess, worry about the future and resort to a strike?

The government must understand that it is the ministry that let the doctors down and not the doctors who disappointed the ministry. It is the ministry that has a trust deficit.

Mazilamani: Are contract doctors also civil servants? Then why are they not treated as civil servants? Now the Health Ministry fears massive disruption to providing medical attention to patients should contract doctors carry out a show of strength by going on strike from April 3 to April 5.

Why must reference be made to the June 2011 circular? Anyway, the Health Ministry gives the impression that they have adequate permanent staff to handle and manage public health.

The Health Ministry encourages leaving after the two-year compulsory service. The ministry is not obliged to retain contract workers.

Falcon: Regulation 4(2) is one of the greatest travesties of justice!

Where hypocrisy and hypocrites and mostly self-serving high-powered civil servants have done all to serve themselves at the expense of the up-and-coming and ordinary folks.

When they are exposed they strike out with threats, more threats, and even more and more threats!

Perhaps, what the Agong should do is sack the top ten in the Health Ministry, which would send the message that their actions are not acceptable and dereliction of a duty of care to caregivers vis a vis our young doctors!

BlueMouse0551: Doctors and/or contract doctors or for that matter the health workers need an avenue to voice out their grievances through any channel that's legally legit if their concerns on their welfare and so on are not considered and resolved amicably by the responsible authorities.

We don't want our critical health sector to be compromised in any way. We urge our prime minister, health minister and Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah to listen to them and come up with some good solutions.

Wong Fei Hoong: If they want to organise a strike they should abide by the laws of the country regulating legal strikes. Walking out from their job in groups is considered an illegal strike and should be dealt with accordingly.

MarioT: To go on strike is not the solution as it would greatly affect our health services which are already overwhelmed.

However, this is not a way for the Health Ministry to handle this long pending issue of contract staff. Previous governments were different to this matter with their procrastination.

The present administration should be more proactive not reactive in trying to solve this issue once and for all. A dissatisfied worker will not be fully dedicated to the job.

Proper dialogue and assurances of hope should be the way to resolve it. Emplacement should be for all, not just a selected few.

Andersonian: Toothless Health Ministry pulls out an old circular from previous oppressive times.

This is a political "own goal". I'm not a fan of former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin, but I bet he surely won't bar doctors and Health Ministry civil servants from voicing their opinions.

These people are helping the government to be better and resolve the current crisis.

YellowGopher7568: Three years to solve a small problem? Are we dealing with a space mission here? That is the most stupid response. Especially when Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi can change chief minister and nominate CEOs for government-linked companies at his whim and fancy.

IndigoHornet3082: Not long ago, we celebrated these front liners for their service to the country during the pandemic.

Alas, now that it's over, discarding them back to servitude is easy. Fighting just to receive equal benefits as permanent staff. I will pray for you, my juniors.

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