Government nod for its docs to act as locums for private sector

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: From today, government doctors are allowed to do locum work in the private sector when they are off duty.
In the past, many doctors have moonlighted as locums.
While the Government was aware of this, it could not take action because the health authorities were not able to track the locums down.
“Since we couldn’t do that (take action), I brought up the matter with the Cabinet, which decided that to allow the doctors to be locums,” said Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek.
In this way, doctors would continue serving the Government and at the same time get to work in the private sector, he told newsmen after opening an international conference on robotic urologic surgery at the KL Hospital yesterday.
A locum is a doctor filling in at a private clinic for a time or temporarily taking the place of another.
As a locum, a general practitioner is paid RM30 to RM40 an hour, and a specialist about RM80 an hour.

Dr Chua said there are five rules that doctors must observe before they take up locum services:
# They must first obtain permission from their head of department,
# They must give priority to their service at government hospitals,
# They must not slacken in their work,
# They can only do it on their days off or when they are on leave, and
# They cannot perform locum services if they are in enforcement units.

“We will send out a circular on this soon but the ruling takes effect immediately,” said Dr Chua.
There are about 10,000 government doctors and he estimates that 15% of them have taken up locum jobs.
Dr Chua encouraged those intending to become locums to take up personal insurance because the coverage provided by the Government does not include off-duty hours.
Malaysian Medical Association National Schomos (Section Concerning House Officers, Medical Officers and Specialists) chairman Dr Vasan Sinnadurai welcomed the move.
“It will supplement doctors’ income, especially now with the cost of living rising rapidly,” he said.
“Now, the doctors in the public sector will be encouraged to stay on with the Government and not drift to the private sector,” he added.