PETALING JAYA: Pharmacists should be given an equal pathway to permanent positions in the public healthcare system, similar to medical officers, says Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon.
The MCA deputy president said the government must end what he described as “double standards” in hiring under the contract employment policy, stressing that pharmacists, dentists, nurses, and other healthcare professionals should be treated fairly as well.
“Malaysia is already facing a serious brain drain in public healthcare.
“If pharmacists are now pushed out through an unfair contract system, the crisis will only deepen,” he said in a statement on Wednesday (April 22).
He added that pharmacists play a critical role in healthcare delivery, including ensuring the safe dispensing of medicines, advising patients on dosage and side effects, and monitoring drug interactions.
“Without sufficient pharmacists, patient safety and service efficiency will suffer,” he said.
Dr Mah called on the government to implement several measures, including providing a transparent pathway to permanent positions for pharmacists, absorbing experienced contract pharmacists into permanent roles, and increasing the number of funded posts in line with actual demand.
Other proposals include introducing clearer promotion structures, offering incentives for rural postings, and developing a long-term national healthcare workforce plan supported by accurate manpower data.
He also urged the government to streamline recruitment and workforce planning by giving the Health Ministry greater control over the process.
“Healthcare reform cannot be selective. If the government continues to pursue inconsistent policies, Malaysia risks crippling its public health system through preventable loss of talent. A nation that fails to value its pharmacists will ultimately fail its patients,” said Dr Mah.
Malaysian Pharmacists Society president Amrahi Buang recently raised concerns about an alleged double standard in the Health Ministry’s contract policy, leaving pharmacists feeling disadvantaged, with some saying the contract system itself has become a basis for unequal treatment.
Some 40 pharmacists are set to exit the health service in July if they do not receive permanent posts.
On April 7, the Health Ministry said it was unable to extend the contracts of dozens of pharmacists because they had reached the five-year maximum duration.
The ministry clarified that any offer of permanent appointment is conditional.
The appointment and placement letters will be issued only after candidates meet all stipulated criteria, including medical clearance, a statutory declaration, and the finalisation of vacancies.
Former senator Dr RA Lingeshwaran, who completed his first three-year term in the Senate on March 6, reportedly said these officers were among 352 contract pharmacists who were offered permanent posts and told to wait for their appointment letters, with no dates given.
