PUTRAJAYA: The two-year compulsory housemanship for doctors now comes with a reward.
Effective Jan 1, those who complete their two-year housemanship will be automatically promoted from UD41 to UD44.
This means they will be taking home RM5,944.25, including allowances, compared with their present salary of RM3,768.39 with allowances.
The move will cost the government some RM1.7 million a year.
Health Ministry director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican said some 2,000 housemen who began service on Jan 1 would benefit from the new scheme.
Normally, doctors who complete their housemanship have to wait for six to eight years before they are promoted to UD44.
As for the some 7,000 doctors who are still in UD41, Dr Ismail said they would be promoted to UD44 with higher salaries, which would cost the government another RM9.8 million annually.
The government had approved the measure late last year, he said, but it was only finalised recently.
"Medical students were upset that they must serve a two-year compulsory housemanship upon graduation.
"But we had our reasons for implementing this."
The ministry's main aim was to improve the quality and competency of medical officers, especially their clinical skills.
He said the move was consistent with the Cabinet's decision, on Nov 21 last year, to increase the housemanship period from one year to two.
Dr Ismail said there were complaints about medical officers with a one-year housemanship. "Their standard of care was not up to mark."
Furthermore, he added, five per cent of the medical officers who underwent the one-year housemanship could not be registered as they did not fulfil relevant criteria.
"These doctors took a longer time to be registered," he said, adding that many who got through also felt ill-equipped when they were posted to rural areas.
"They had no confidence. With the two-year housemanship, doctors are exposed to a wide variety of cases, procedures and their clinical skills are enhanced."
Dr Ismail said specialists had been told to be fair, firm and strict with housemen and ensure that their training was structured and evaluated fairly.
He also pointed out that the ministry gave fair opportunities to all races where promotion was concerned.
Citing an example, he said, there were 2,085 specialists in government hospitals. Of these, 1,136 are Malays, 480 Chinese, 392 Indians and 21 from other races.
He added 55 per cent of the Malay specialists were in UD48, Chinese 23 per cent and Indians 18.2 per cent, while there were 58 per cent Malays, 21 per cent Chinese and 16 per cent Indians in UD54.
As for Special Grade C, Dr Ismail said 51.5 per cent were Malays, while 24 per cent were both Chinese and Indians.
"We encourage more Chinese and Indians doctors to specialise in family medicine."
Chinese and Indian doctors are seen mainly in internal medicine, general surgery, cardiology, paediatrics and obstetrics and gynaecology.
This means they will be taking home RM5,944.25, including allowances, compared with their present salary of RM3,768.39 with allowances.
The move will cost the government some RM1.7 million a year.
Health Ministry director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican said some 2,000 housemen who began service on Jan 1 would benefit from the new scheme.
As for the some 7,000 doctors who are still in UD41, Dr Ismail said they would be promoted to UD44 with higher salaries, which would cost the government another RM9.8 million annually.
The government had approved the measure late last year, he said, but it was only finalised recently.
"Medical students were upset that they must serve a two-year compulsory housemanship upon graduation.
"But we had our reasons for implementing this."
The ministry's main aim was to improve the quality and competency of medical officers, especially their clinical skills.
He said the move was consistent with the Cabinet's decision, on Nov 21 last year, to increase the housemanship period from one year to two.
Dr Ismail said there were complaints about medical officers with a one-year housemanship. "Their standard of care was not up to mark."
Furthermore, he added, five per cent of the medical officers who underwent the one-year housemanship could not be registered as they did not fulfil relevant criteria.
"These doctors took a longer time to be registered," he said, adding that many who got through also felt ill-equipped when they were posted to rural areas.
"They had no confidence. With the two-year housemanship, doctors are exposed to a wide variety of cases, procedures and their clinical skills are enhanced."
Dr Ismail said specialists had been told to be fair, firm and strict with housemen and ensure that their training was structured and evaluated fairly.
He also pointed out that the ministry gave fair opportunities to all races where promotion was concerned.
Citing an example, he said, there were 2,085 specialists in government hospitals. Of these, 1,136 are Malays, 480 Chinese, 392 Indians and 21 from other races.
He added 55 per cent of the Malay specialists were in UD48, Chinese 23 per cent and Indians 18.2 per cent, while there were 58 per cent Malays, 21 per cent Chinese and 16 per cent Indians in UD54.
As for Special Grade C, Dr Ismail said 51.5 per cent were Malays, while 24 per cent were both Chinese and Indians.
"We encourage more Chinese and Indians doctors to specialise in family medicine."
Chinese and Indian doctors are seen mainly in internal medicine, general surgery, cardiology, paediatrics and obstetrics and gynaecology.
Owh thank you thank you! Let's hope that after this they will give 2009 housemen a rise! =) Wohoooo! =)
For those who are not familiar with the pangkat-pangkat, ok, Houseman aka HO (right after graduated from medical school) is U41. This holds the lowest position in the pyramid. Previously, the freshly graduated doctors only had to be at the bottom skunk place for a year, but just like Tan Sri Merican mentioned above, with all the complaints from the senior MOs and specialist about the incompetency of junior MOs, they prolonged the time for the new doctors to be in the hell chamber. Finally, after 2 years of hard work and no play, the U41 people will be automatically upgraded to U44, which holds the title Medical Officer (MO). The reason why they will only start the rise in 2010 is because, the 2 years housemanship starts this year, and by 2010, THEY will become MOs...in other words, this rise is not for the current MOs...as for me, if I do well for my final professional paper early next year, I'll be a HO in 2009 and MO in 2011..=)
