Doctors may earn a lot, but most probably not in Malaysia's general hospitals.
A Twitter account, @HartalDoktorKontrak (an activist group protecting doctors' rights), recently shared that doctors in Malaysia's general hospitals are being paid lower than illegal foreign helpers.
Fun fact : It is cheaper to employ KKM Drs to clean your house compared to illegal foreign helper. RM 9 per hour vs RM 20 per hour.
— HartalDoktorKontrak (@HKontrak) February 21, 2023
According to the tweet, doctors are getting RM9 per hour to stay on call, while foreign workers are being paid RM20 per hour for their labour, which is two times higher than what the doctors are getting.
The post instantly invited many comments and shares. Some netizens jokingly responded to the post by asking if any doctor was interested in cleaning their houses. Some shared that they are paying more for lawn mower workers, petsitters, etc.
However, one Twitter user says the comparison is unfair as doctors have high basic salaries. Foreign workers only receive hourly pay or a much lower basic salary.
Another user, believed to be a pharmacist in a general hospital, disclosed that pharmacists are not getting any OT pay to stay on call.
Though this is not the first time the Twitter account mentioning this.
The matter was initially highlighted when Deputy Health Minister Lukanisman Awang Sauni commented that Malaysia's doctors are well paid and are getting higher pay than other public sectors on Feb 21.
Oncall rate:RM9 sejam.Kalau pihak atasan sendiri tak nampak masalah bawahan, akan selesaikah isu berbangkit?Cukup itu sahaja tweet kali ini. pic.twitter.com/5IIfFXHcGs
— HartalDoktorKontrak (@HKontrak) February 21, 2023
Fortunately, the Ministry of Health has met with people from @HartalDoktorKontrak to discuss the unfair treatment of doctors in general hospitals on Feb 22.
Let's hope that KKM is well considering the matters and that every professional is fairly remunerated.
