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Dr. Dzulkefly Lied to Malaysian Doctors — And We Will Not Stay Silent
In June 2025, Health Minister Dr. Dzulkefly Ahmad stood before the Malaysian public and promised that doctors — particularly the overworked, underpaid medical officers (MOs) in our public hospitals — would soon hear “good news” regarding their long-awaited on-call allowance increase.
That promise gave many of us a brief, fragile sense of hope. Hope that our endless 24-hour shifts, our neglected families, our shattered work-life balance, and our emotional and mental scars from years in a broken system would finally be acknowledged — even if only partially — with fair compensation.
But now, just a month later, that hope has been betrayed.
In a July 2025 article by CodeBlue, Dr. Dzulkefly shamelessly backtracked on his commitment. His excuse? The on-call allowance “can’t be raised” because there are not enough medical officers and because WBB (Workload-Based Budgeting) has not been implemented.
Let’s be clear: this is not just a betrayal. This is an insult.
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The Logic Doesn’t Add Up — And He Knows It
How can the Health Minister claim that insufficient numbers of MOs is a reason not to raise allowance?
Fewer doctors means more work for each existing MO. Shouldn’t they be paid more, not less, when they’re covering extra shifts, handling more patients, and enduring greater burnout?
Let’s imagine this same logic in any other industry:
• There aren’t enough firemen to put out a burning building, so we won’t pay the remaining firemen more for their extra shifts.
• There’s a teacher shortage in a school, so we’ll keep underpaying the remaining teachers who now teach extra classes.
Absurd, isn’t it?
But that’s exactly what Dr. Dzulkefly is doing — weaponizing poor workforce planning to justify underpaying doctors, many of whom are already being crushed by 60- to 80-hour workweeks and forced overtime.
And what does WBB have to do with this? Workload-Based Budgeting is a future reform, a financial planning tool. It’s not — and should never be — used as a barrier to basic compensation for work already being done. If WBB is still under development, why are doctors being punished for it?
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False Hope: The Hallmark of Failed Leadership
This isn’t the first time the Ministry of Health has given doctors false hope.
We’ve heard it all before:
• “We value your sacrifice.”
• “Help is on the way.”
• “Be patient, reform takes time.”
And yet year after year, budget after budget, nothing changes. Doctors are still leaving the public sector in droves. Hospital wards are still overcrowded. Burnout is still rampant. Junior doctors are still exploited as cheap labour.
Meanwhile, top MOH officials attend conferences, make vague promises, and pose for press photos — while the system collapses under their watch.
Dr. Dzulkefly’s backtracking is more than just political dishonesty. It’s a betrayal of public trust, and a blatant disregard for the health care workers who held this country together during its darkest hours.
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What Kind of Minister Punishes Those Who Stay?
We are now being told: “We can’t pay you more because others have left.”
But that only highlights your failure, Dr. Dzulkefly.
• You failed to retain doctors.
• You failed to staff hospitals properly.
• You failed to fix the contract doctor system.
• And now, you are punishing the ones who stayed behind, loyal to the rakyat, despite it all.
Instead of rewarding those who kept the public healthcare system running — at great personal cost — you’re telling us to “understand the budget situation.”
Enough is enough.
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We Demand Accountability — Not Excuses
Dr. Dzulkefly Ahmad, if you are unable to uphold your promises, if you do not have the courage to stand up to the Ministry of Finance and fight for doctors, then you do not deserve to remain in office.
Your failure to deliver the on-call allowance increase, after publicly promising it, is a resignation-worthy offense. You have lost the confidence of the very people you are supposed to lead.
The Malaysian healthcare system cannot survive on sweet words and broken promises. It needs bold, honest, and competent leadership — and if you cannot provide that, please step aside and let someone who can.
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We Speak for Every Overworked, Underpaid MO in Malaysia
To every medical officer reading this: your struggle is real. Your sacrifice is seen. And your anger is justified.
To the rakyat: understand this — doctors are not asking for luxury. We are asking for justice.
To Dr. Dzulkefly: you had one job — to fight for us.
You failed.
And we will not forget.
