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Free Malaysia Today
12-07-2025
- Health
- Free Malaysia Today
Decision to keep 42-hour workweek will boost morale, says nurses' union
JPA's decision reflects the government's concern for the welfare of civil servants in the healthcare sector, said the Malayan Nurses Union. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : The government's decision to maintain a 42-hour workweek for shift-based healthcare workers is expected to boost their morale and motivation to continue delivering the best service to the public, says the Malayan Nurses Union. Union president Saaidah Athman said the move was a reflection of the government's concern for the welfare of healthcare civil servants. 'On behalf of all MNU members, I extend our heartfelt thanks to the prime minister, chief secretary to the government, the public services department director-general, and the health minister for this decision,' she told Bernama. Looking ahead, she urged the government to review the salary and allowance structure for healthcare workers and consider creating more critical posts to strengthen the national healthcare system. JPA announced yesterday that the government would scrap the 45-hour workweek for more than 82,000 healthcare workers, a move which was set to take effect on Aug 1. It said the exemption was made after taking into account concerns raised by healthcare workers regarding the implementation of the 45-hour workweek under the public service remuneration system (SSPA). The exemption covers 82,637 frontline personnel, including nurses, community nurses, emergency department medical officers, assistant medical officers and healthcare assistants. The MNU had previously protested against the additional hours, stating that ward nurses were already under significant pressure working 42 hours a week.
The Star
03-07-2025
- Health
- The Star
Our nurses deserve much better
PETALING JAYA: Better incentives, including flexible working hours, are vital to retain nurses in the face of a critical shortage, particularly in Malaysia's public healthcare sector. Malayan Nurses Union president Saaidah Athman said the average starting salary for nurses is around RM1,800, with new recruits placed under the Employees Provident Fund scheme instead of the civil service pension scheme. Meanwhile, the starting salary of a U29 grade nurse with a nursing diploma begins at RM1,797 in the public sector. A RM100 allowance is paid to specialist nurses with advanced qualifications in the form of post-basic incentive allowance. 'All these will not attract the younger generation to nursing. They would definitely choose to go to the private sector or overseas, where the salaries are better and there is some flexibility in working hours. 'The workload is also rising with the increasing number of patients. Some have to do double duty with tasks not limited to nursing care, but also administrative work, moving patients across units, pushing medicine trolleys to the pharmacy and so on. 'So, one can imagine how exhausted nurses here are compared to overseas, where nurses only focus on their respective nursing care duties,' she said. She added that the transition to the 45-hour work week is not helping at all. Aside from resignations and low intakes, she said fewer colleges are offering nursing courses, which has impacted the number of prospective nurses joining the workforce. 'The Health Ministry must fix the nursing system by offering attractive incentives and flexible working hours,' she said, adding that the post-basic incentive allowance must also be reviewed as RM100 is too low. 'Nurses are paid RM3,000 and above for post-basic allowance overseas, and in private practice in Asia, it is about RM500,' Saaidah noted. Independent health advocate Dr Sean Thum agreed, saying that Malaysian nurses are drawn abroad due to the very real possibility of a more balanced life there. Therefore, he said, raising remuneration is key in ensuring adequate manpower in public healthcare. 'We don't pay well enough. Indeed, we are lacking in staff, so the existing staff will have to shoulder more work,' he said. In a statement, Senator Dr RA Lingeshwaran said if the government, particularly the Public Service Department (JPA), continues with the 45-hour work week within the 'already crippled' healthcare system, it would lead more healthcare workers quitting. 'JPA has to bear responsibility if this fails,' he said, adding that the move to increase the work week to 45 hours is insensitive and highly risky. 'I have engaged with many nursing associations and unions within the Health Ministry, and the majority have expressed that they will not be able to endure it if the workload continues to increase without any form of compensation or resolution to their welfare,' said the former director of Hospital Sungai Bakap in Penang. The morale of healthcare workers is currently at its lowest point, he added. 'What is needed is not an added burden but support, incentives and recognition for their sacrifices in safeguarding the health of the people every day. 'Don't wait until public hospitals collapse before pointing fingers. If JPA continues to be rigid, then they will be the ones held accountable by the people,' he said. Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad had said recently that the country is facing a critical shortage of nurses. 'We have also taken various approaches, including increasing the number of trainees to 1,000, but it still does not meet the shortfall,' he was quoted as saying on June 29. A total of 6,919 healthcare workers under Health Ministry left for the private sector between 2020 and 2024. Of this total, 2,141 were nurses, comprising 1,754 permanent and 387 contract appointees. If the current trajectory continues, the shortage of nurses is projected to reach almost 60% by 2030.
Straits Times
30-05-2025
- Health
- Straits Times
Malaysia nurses oppose 45-hour work week plan
KUALA LUMPUR — The Malayan Nurses Union (MNU) is up in arms over the government's decision to increase the weekly working hours of nurses in the public sector from 42 to 45, effective Aug 1. Its president Saaidah Athman said nurses have made many sacrifices in serving the well-being of the public, and they were unhappy with the additional workload being imposed on them. In a letter dated May 28 to the Health Ministry secretary-general, the Public Services Department (JPA) paused the implementation of the new working arrangement, which was originally scheduled to begin on June 1. The JPA also stated that this would be the final postponement and that the new working hours would be implemented soon. A previous postponement had already been granted, moving the start date from March 1 to May 31 at the Health Ministry's request. While the MNU welcomed the latest postponement, Ms Saaidah h opes the ministr y will maintain the current 42-hour work week instead of increasing it to 45 hours. She noted that nurses in countries such as Singapore and the Philippines work 40 hours a week , in line with recommendations by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). This, she said, is because regular work hours are already tiring enough for nurses, and additional hours would lead to exhaustion . 'Where is the justice and welfare for nurses, who are the pulse, heart, and backbone of the ministry? 'The current working structure in the healthcare system must be improved. 'In other countries, including Singapore, nurses only work in wards and handle recovery work. But in Malaysia, we perform many tasks — from escorting patients to x-rays and the operating theatre, to indenting, collecting data, participating in audits, and being involved in hospital activities,' she told The Star on May 29 . She added that nurses would be disappointed if the 45-hour work week was implemented. Ms Saaidah said nurses were at the frontline of medical care during the Covid-19 pandemic and served the nation, often at the cost of leaving their families due to the demands of the job . 'Imagine if the work hours were extended but there was no review on the burden of the job and the improvements,' she said. Nurses have previously opposed the new working hours, citing a lack of work-life balance and increased workload. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
29-05-2025
- Health
- The Star
Nurses upset over work hour increase
KUALA LUMPR: The Malayan Nurses Union (MNU) is up in arms over the government's decision to increase the weekly working hours of nurses in the public sector from 42 hours to 45 from Aug 1. Its president Saaidah Athman said nurses have made many sacrifices in serving the well-being of the public and they were unhappy over the additional workload piled on them. CLICK TO ENLARGE In a letter dated May 28 to the Health Ministry secretary-general, the Public Services Department (JPA) paused the implementation of the new working arrangement scheduled to begin on June 1. JPA also said the postponement was the last one and the new working arrangement will be implemented soon. Another postponement was also previously granted from March 1 to May 31 upon the request from the Health Ministry. While MNU welcomed the latest postponement, Saaidah is hoping for the ministry to maintain the current 42-hour work week instead of the 45-hour. She said nurses in countries like Singapore and the Philippines work 40 hours a week as recommended by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). This was because regular work hours were tiring enough for nurses and that additional hours would cause exhaustion. 'Where is the justice and welfare for nurses who are the pulse, heart and backbone of the ministry. 'The current working structure in the health system must be improved. 'In other countries including Singapore, the nurses are only working in wards handling recovery work but in Malaysia, we do many tasks from taking the patients to x-rays, to the operation theatre, indenting, collecting data, being involved in audit as well as hospital activities,' she told The Star yesterday. She added that nurses would be disappointed if the 45-hour week was implemented. Saaidah said nurses were at the frontline of medical care during the Covid-19 pandemic and served the nation to the extent of leaving their families due to responsibilities of the job. 'Imagine if the work hours were extended but there was no review on the burden of the job and the improvements,' Saaidah said. Nurses have previously opposed the new working hours, citing the lack of work-life balance and added workload.
