May 23, 2024
PETALING JAYA – Dr Amy (not her real name) graduated with a medical degree in 2016 and has served with the Health Ministry as a contract doctor since 2017.
Seven years later, now aged 32, things look bleak for her – she is thinking of joining a private clinic as a general practitioner or leaving the medical field altogether to become a tuition teacher or look for a nine-to-five clerical job.
Dr Amy is one of many contract doctors who were not offered permanent positions by the Health Ministry even after serving for seven years. It has been a huge comedown for her.
“I studied medicine with very big dreams. I wanted nothing more than to continue to serve the ministry, but I think this is the end of the road. I will have to accept it with a heavy heart,” said Dr Amy, who served at a hospital in the Klang Valley.
She is from one of the earliest cohorts after the contract system was introduced in 2016 and has reached the maximum contract extension of seven years, who is now considering other options.
“It will be a challenge to switch fields but I am considering these options,” she said.