First Intake of Contract Housemanship
Health director-general
Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah confirmed that the government started the first
intake of contract housemanship last December 5, with PSD scholars among the
graduate doctors on contract as no permanent positions were offered at all. —
File pic
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 20 — The Public Services Department (PSD) has
confirmed reports that only performing scholars will be offered permanent
contracts at public hospitals.
In an email response to a query by Malay Mail Online, the
agency said that the government is currently looking at alternatives on how to
absorb scholars who failed to secure permanent jobs despite being offered
housemanship contracts by its hospitals.
“Students who qualify for our scholarships are excellent students. With
that we hope that they can continue to display similar performance as they do
with their studies, and show high commitment when executing their duties under
their housemanship contracts so that they can be offered permanent jobs,” the
agency said.
“Nevertheless, the government is currently looking at several
alternatives should PSD medical scholars already offered housemanship contracts
fail to secure permanent jobs once their contract ends,” it added.
Yesterday Malay Mail
Online reported that public hospitals will only offer permanent
contracts to house officers based on their performance, and not to any
government scholarship students.
Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah confirmed that the
government started the first intake of contract housemanship last December 5,
with PSD scholars among the graduate doctors on contract as no permanent
positions were offered at all.
“Based on merits, not based on scholarships,” Dr Noor Hisham told Malay
Mail Online, when asked if PSD scholars will be prioritised for permanent
positions given that they are bonded to the government.
“Bond still the same and when they are absorbed to permanent post, their
service from Dec 5 will be taken into permanent service too,” he added.
Dr Noor Hisham also confirmed
that permanent positions for graduating house officers were not guaranteed.
Health Minister Datuk Seri
Dr S. Subramaniam reportedly said last October that offering contract
housemanship would help about 2,600 graduate doctors on the waiting list every
year, saying that they could wait for up to a year because there were not
enough permanent positions.
