PETALING JAYA: The Delegation of Nurses (DON) is the latest nursing group to oppose the 45-hour work week for nurses in public healthcare, adding that it will lead to a heavier workload.
“We state our strong opposition to the proposal for the 45-hour-a-week shift system which is expected have major negative implications,” it said in a statement on Thursday (Jan 30)
It said nurses were in favour of healthcare reforms to improve the quality of service, but any changes must be based on good governance and consultation with all stakeholders.
DON said implementing this change would lead to more overtime claims, increasing operating costs for the government.
Furthermore, nurses could face burnout, resulting in poor quality of service and workplace disruptions, it added.
“We are of the view that increasing workload for nurses without a salary hike commensurate with the workload would drive more nurses to migrate overseas or to the private sector,” it said.
This would have a negative impact on the Malaysia Nursing Board’s efforts to maximise the hiring of nurses although the requirement has been lowered from five SPM credits to three.
It also noted that it would be regressive of Malaysia to implement a 45-hour work week when countries such as the United Kingdom (38.5 hours a week), Singapore(between 38 and 42 hours) and Indonesia (40 hours) have fewer hours.
The Health Ministry’s nursing and human resources divisions held a townhall with nurses regarding the 45-hour work week on Jan 20, to explain that the move was to streamline their working hours with the Public Service Remuneration System (SSPA).
Previously, six nursing groups also opposed the move.
DON is a non-governmental organisation that emphasises educating, promoting and protecting Malaysia’s nurses, and promotes nursing education.
