Mandatory Government Service for Doctors has been Reduced to 18 Months

Recently, there have been some issues concerning medical officers under contract status. This is due to the fact that medical officers are dissatisfied with the salary scale and the 4 year mandatory service in government hospitals  which includes 2 years of compulsory service and another 2 years of housemanship training. In order to be a qualified doctor, this has been made as a mandatory requirement.

In October last year, the period of compulsory service was reduced from 2 years to 18 months to encourage medical officers to seek opportunities in private sectors. However, this was not announced widely and many were unaware of this move by the government. As a result, the government faced massive challenges in their attempts to accommodate a large number of doctors in the public sector.

The Malaysian Medical Council under Section 42 of the Medical Act 1971 has stated the eligibility criteria for the reduction of compulsory service period. It will only be considered for those who have served 18 months in the public sector.

This move was introduced to ease the pressure on the government who is currently burdened with 23,000 contract doctors. The contract doctors are demanding for a permanent placement upon completion of the mandatory government service, however given the circumstance, the biggest challenge would be to find placement for thousands of medical students who are graduating each year.

According to the latest policy change as well, medical officers who had completed their housemanship training will be allowed to apply for deferment of their compulsory service with reasonable grounds. Meanwhile those who had served abroad with at least 10 years of clinical experience can apply for exemption from compulsory service in the country upon their return.

For more info and application forms, click here : Malaysian Medical Council Guidelines & Application Form Relaxation of Compulsory Service

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