Materia Medica Malaysiana

Houseman's salary scale being revised

It was an embarrassing admission, but Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek managed to keep a straight face when he said a fast food outlet worker may actually earn more than a houseman.
Fielding questions during a dialogue with staff of the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital here today, Dr Chua said the Government realised the low allowance paid to trainee doctors doing their housemanship in a government hospitals.
He said his Ministry is in the process of revising its scale.
"Please be patient, it may take some time but we are trying our best in this matter," he added.
A trainee doctor currently receives an allowance of RM25 when assigned to a round-the-clock on-call duty.
In contrast, a staff nurse is paid RM7 per hour when on such duty.