No action to be taken against 24 doctors from Klang's HTAR Hospital over Hartal participation

KLANG: The 24 contract doctors from Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah (HTAR) who had participated in a walkout on Monday have been left off the hook.

HTAR director Dr Zulkarnain Mohd Rawi said he had received word from the Health Ministry not to initiate action against the doctors.

"The case is closed and they do not need to submit a written explanation as to why they participated in the strike,'' said Dr Zulkarnain.

He said the doctors must understand that when they signed the contract to serve with the government, they were bound by certain requirements such as being loyal to the King and country as well as putting aside self-interest to serve the nation.

"The Civil Service's General Orders clearly state that government servants as well as those contracted to serve in the civil service are prohibited from participating in illegal gatherings,'' he said.

Young doctors nationwide had participated in the walkout initiated by the Hartal Doktor Kontrak group on Monday (July 26).

The walkout was initiated to urge the government to offer contract doctors better terms as well as permanent positions.

The government recently announced that it would increase the tenure of contract doctors by another four years but there was no mention of permanent positions.