Civil Servants Group Blasts Kj For Comments On Health Workers Shift System

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Administrative and diplomatic officers’ association chief Awang Alik Jeman said it was unfair to blame officers for the controversy surrounding a proposed new shift system for healthcare workers as all new policies are bound to face challenges. (Reuters pic)PETALING JAYA: A civil servants’ interest group has hit out at former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin for claiming that bureaucrats are making faulty policy decisions from their ivory towers

Yesterday, Khairy blamed the failure of the proposed Waktu Bekerja Berlainan (WBB) shift system for healthcare workers to the disconnect Putrajaya’s bureaucrats have with the realities of medical practice.
In response, administrative and diplomatic officers’ (PTD) association chief Awang Alik Jeman today said Khairy’s claim was baseless, adding that health ministry officers did well in crafting the WBB.
In a statement to Berita Harian, he said the WBB was formulated after comprehensive engagement sessions with various stakeholders, including medical officers, hospital administrators and health workers’ unions.
Awang noted that the health ministry had already said the WBB policy was formulated “by doctors for doctors” and not unilaterally determined by administrative officers in Putrajaya.
He also said it was unfair to blame PTD officers for the controversy as all new policies are bound to face challenges.
“All parties need to better understand the policy formulation process before making statements that can mislead the public,” he said.
“Collaboration between all stakeholders, including medical officers and PTD, is key in ensuring that any policy introduced truly benefits all parties without affecting the quality of the country’s public services.”
In his Keluar Sekejap podcast yesterday, Khairy blasted the decision-making process behind the WBB, saying it was made by civil servants who lacked a practical understanding of hospital operations.
“This decision was made by those in Putrajaya … PTD officers who’ve never worked in hospitals.”
He claimed those formulating the policy “only look at the hours on Excel spreadsheets” and do not understand the realities faced by medical staff.
WBB, which sought to limit on-call hours for doctors from 33 to 18 hours, was widely criticised by healthcare workers for cutting their allowances by including extended shifts into the standard 45-hour work week.
The system drew brickbats from groups such as the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA), which said health workers would work fewer hours but stood to lose income as they would not be granted an allowance for working past 5pm on weekdays.
Graveyard shifts would also be treated as regular work hours and included as part of the 45-hour work week, said MMA president Dr Kalwinder Singh Khaira.
A pilot WBB project set for Feb 1 has been cancelled by the Cabinet pending further studies. - FMT

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