Materia Medica Malaysiana

Nurses feel cheated by University Hospital board

WE are a group of retired nurses of University Hospital writing to appeal to the Board of Management of the University Malaya Medical Centre to reconsider its decision to terminate our free medical benefits.

We were the pioneer batch of nurses of the hospital since its inception in 1967 and have dedicated our lives to caring for the sick despite the acute shortage of professional nurses and frequent night duties.

Our pay was relatively low with no overtime, critical allowances or bonuses.

In 1986, the staff morale was at its lowest as large numbers of experienced nurses and paramedics were leaving for higher pay overseas and in the private sector.

As an incentive to retain the nurses and healthcare personnel, the board promised to reward the long-serving employees on EPF scheme free medical benefits only at University Hospital.

We have fulfilled our part by staying on until retirement and as promised were given a pension card, Kad Pesara KWSP, which entitled us to free medical treatment at the hospital upon retirement.

However, a circular dated April 7, last year, was given to the counter staff in the polyclinics to invalidate our Kad Pesara KWSP.

We, the retirees, were never informed of this personally or via any public announcement.

The present board has the moral obligation to honour a promise that was made 17 years ago.

It is a most cruel act to deprive a handful of elderly nurses in their twilight years of the free medical benefits that they rightly deserved.