KUALA LUMPUR: The final decision on the implementation of the “Waktu Bekerja Berlainan” (WBB) system will be discussed in detail by the Health Ministry's higher management during a three-day retreat, says its minister, Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.
Dzulkefly said the retreat, which began on Friday (Jan 17) and scheduled to end on Sunday (Jan 19), would also discuss human resources issues, improving the delivery of services and the imbalance in the distribution of health staff workforce.
“The leaked letter is a circular on the guidelines for implementing the WBB that comes into effect in February. This is to help the staff arrange the schedule and workforce for February.
“For the implementation of the WBB to come into force, the ministry’s secretary-general and Health Department director-general have to issue an order.
“At the moment, neither of us has signed the order. We will see the outcome of the discussion on implementing the WBB during the retreat. It will be brought to the higher management, and then a decision can be made,” he told the press on Friday.
Dzulkefly said this after news about the WBB pilot project that caps on-call shifts at 18 hours to cut down from the current limit of between 24 and 33 hours.
He said the main aim of the WBB is to reduce overworking, improve work-life balance, and enhance the welfare of medical officers, as well as to ensure better service delivery for the people.
This is also to ensure no medical officers are working 24 hours non-stop and reduce the total working hours of 99 to 72 hours a week, Dzulkefly said.
"So, give us some time to come up with an outcome because we have to iron out all the issues, including the allowance,” he said, adding that the WBB is the third work schedule system after on-call and shift.
He explained that his ministry’s officers developed the WBB work scheduling proposal after an engagement session with selected health facilities, medical officers and targeted specialists on Jan 22, 2024.
According to a circular signed by the ministry’s medical development division director, Datuk Dr Mohd Azman Yacob, it had tabled the WBB system to the Public Service Department (PSD) on Dec 5, 2024.
Under the WBB system, the active on-call rates for weekdays and public holidays are RM275 for medical officers (MOs) and RM315 for specialists.
As for the current system, MOs are entitled to an active on-call allowance of RM220 on weekends and public holidays and RM200 on weekdays.
Specialists are entitled to RM250 on weekends and public holidays and RM230 on weekdays.
However, with WBB, they cannot claim an active on-call allowance on weekdays.
Claims for passive on-call allowance remain.
The pilot of the scheduling programme would begin at seven hospitals on Feb 1.
The seven are the Paediatric Department of Hospital Tunku Azizah; the Medical Department of Hospital Slim River; the Obstetrics and Gynaecology department of Hospital Putrajaya; the Orthopaedic Department of Raja Permaisuri Bainun and Melaka hospitals; the Emergency and Trauma Department of the Melaka and Sultanah Bahiyah hospitals; as well as the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department of Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah.
However, the contract doctors' movement, Hartal Doktor Kontrak (HDK), has called for the immediate retraction of the Waktu Bekerja Berlainan (WBB) shift system circular
In a statement on Thursday (Jan 16), it said that this has caused “unprecedented outrage” among the medical community as the Health Ministry announced it without prior engagement with key stakeholders.
