Materia Medica Malaysiana

MTUC: stop engaging unqualified medical personnel for plantations

KUALA LUMPUR April 21 - The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) has called on the Health and Human Resources Ministries to reprimand employers who engage unqualified medical personnel to work in plantations.

Its President, Senator Zainal Rampak, said employing unqualified medical personnel violated Section 2 of the Estate Hospital Assistants (Registration) Act 1965.

In a statement Wednesday, he said the MTUC had received a complaint from an affiliate, the All Malayan Estates Staff Union (AMESU), that certain plantation companies were employing unqualified medical personnel as hospital assistants at low wages to cut costs.

Zainal said these unqualified medical personnel were mainly ex-servicemen who had undergone short courses of between six and seven months in para-medical subjects such as First Aid but did not have the extensive internship experience in hospitals.

"Their training programmes, which do not include a final examination, are supervised and certified by the Defence Ministry and are meant to serve military needs.

"Upon retiring from the army, they apply for jobs as estate hospital assistants and plantation companies are happy to employ them because they are prepared to accept lower wages," he said.

He said the competency certificates issued by the Defence Ministry's Medical and Dental Corps were not recognised by the Health Ministry as equivalent to the hospital assistants' or nurses' diploma.

Zainal said the MTUC was concerned that some of these unqualified medical personnel were taking over the role of qualified doctors and pharmacists by diagnosing, treating, prescribing and preparing medicine for estate workers and their families.

If this practice was allowed to continue unchecked, it would pose a serious threat to the well-being of estate workers and their families, he said.

He urged the Human Resources Ministry to investigate the matter and stop the unethical and illegal practice.

MTUC would also be writing to the respective Ministers to request them to intervene and address the problem before any tragedy takes place, he added.