KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) has urged the Public Service Department to review its general order on maternity leave for civil servants following the recent controversy surrounding the reduction of maternity leave from 90 days to 60 days for health medical officers in the Hulu Langat district.
MMA president Dr Azizan Abdul Aziz emphasised that the review should specifically address the number of days entitled to civil servants for maternity leave, currently set at a minimum of 60 mandatory days and up to 90 days.
She said that the recent issue involving the maternity leave of medical officers in Hulu Langat highlights the need for improvements within the Health Ministry’s human resources department, noting that such situations could be avoided with better foresight and planning from the department.
“It has become evident that many challenges in the healthcare system stem from inadequate human resources planning.
“Despite the health minister’s commitment to enhancing the welfare of healthcare workers, there remains a disconnect at the operational level concerning the needs of the workforce, as demonstrated by this recent incident.
“As part of measures towards better planning of healthcare human resources, we once again urged MoH to consider our proposal for digitalised mapping of human resources, a step which we believe will significantly help address the uneven workforce distribution in public healthcare seen throughout the country.
“This data-driven approach would facilitate better decision-making and ultimately improve healthcare services and delivery for the population,” she said in a statement today.
Azizan also highlighted the potential double standards faced by civil servants compared to private sector workers regarding maternity leave.
This issue persists despite the amendment to the Employment Act 1955 last year, which increased maternity leave to 98 days, she added.
“Unfortunately, this causes a double standard between the public and private sectors, as seen in this current case, where civil servants may get 38 days of maternity leave, less than their counterparts in the private sector.
“Maternity protection is a human right enshrined in Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, where best practices have seen it set at 98 days, which is not merely a benefit but a crucial period for the health and wellbeing of both mother and child.
“A shorter maternity leave period undermines the essential recovery time needed by new mothers and compromises the critical early bonding period between mother and infant, which is fundamental to the child’s development and the mother’s mental health.
“This decision disregards the well-established benefits of the standard 98-day maternity leave, which include adequate physical recovery from childbirth, support for successful breastfeeding, and the mitigation of postpartum depression,” she said.
Azizan also pointed out that reducing the period of maternity leave not only puts undue stress on the dedicated MOs but also potentially impacts the quality of care they can provide upon returning to work prematurely.
Yesterday, the media reported that Health Minister Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad confirmed that the 90-day maternity leave for MOs serving under the Hulu Langat district health office has been reinstated.
He said that the matter was resolved before it was highlighted in a report by health portal CodeBlue on August 2.
CodeBlue had previously reported on a circular dated June 27 that notified MOs of reduced maternity leave from 90 days to 60 days for the district health clinics due to a critical shortage of doctors. – August 7, 2024