Engagement Sessions On Nurses Working Hours To Conclude By End Of Month

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Health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said his ministry is committed to addressing the concerns raised by the nurses while ensuring the best possible outcome for both healthcare workers and patients. (Bernama pic)
SEBERANG PERAI: Nationwide engagement sessions to gather feedback on the increase in nurses’ working hours are expected to conclude by the end of this month, says health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad.
Several nurses’ groups previously said they did not agree to the increase in working hours from 42 to 45 hours a week from Dec 1.
At a press conference here today, Dzulkefly said his ministry is looking into the matter and has engaged with nurses at public hospitals in Penang, Pahang, Sabah and Johor. The final session is set to take place in Terengganu next week.
Dzulkefly said he had taken note of the feedback received and had kept the Cabinet and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim informed of the developments.
“Regarding the 45-hour work week, the media knows that I have had four engagement sessions already,” he said at the Sungai Dua health clinic here.
“Allow us to conclude all the engagement sessions first … I hope for a good outcome for the nurses.”
He said the ministry is committed to addressing the concerns raised by the nurses while ensuring the best possible outcome for both healthcare workers and patients.
In November, five nursing associations said a survey it conducted among nurses found that increasing nurses’ weekly working hours could undermine the effectiveness of healthcare service delivery and affect the quality of patient care.
Last month, the Malaysian Male Nurses group criticised the health ministry’s decision requiring nurses to continue working 45 hours a week. This came after the Cabinet decided to cancel the proposed optional Waktu Bekerja Berlainan (WBB) shift system for healthcare workers.
On a separate issue, Dzulkefly said his ministry has not received any information that the country has been affected by the recall in Coca-Cola products due to chlorate contamination.
Dzulkefly said only Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom have been affected by the recall of several beverages produced by Coca-Cola Europacific Partners.
“The ministry’s food safety and quality division will continue to monitor the situation and we will not let our guard down,” he said.
Earlier today, the Consumers Association of Penang urged the health ministry to suspend the sale of Coca-Cola products pending test results following a recall of its products in Europe. - FMT

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