Housemen no longer need to work 32 hours straight, guidelines say

The Star PETALING JAYA: Medical housemen will no longer work 16 hours continuously after their normal eight hours with the implementation of a flexible schedule.
Previously, all housemen were required to work continuously for 32 hours eight normal working hours followed by 16 hours overnight and another eight hours the next day.
A guideline on the implementation of the flexi-schedule was announced in a circular dated Jan 3. It states that hospital directors and department heads must ensure that the total average working hours was 60 hours per week for every posting, but not exceed 72 hours.
They have two options available to them. They are:
> A three-session system whereby the shifts would be from 7am to 6pm, 11am to 11pm and 10pm to 10am.
> The second option will be a two-session system whereby the shifts will be normal working hours of 7am till 5pm with extended hours until 12am, and 7am till 5pm and continuation of work again at 11pm till 1am the next day.
The two options will allow hospitals to implement a work schedule according to their needs and the number of housemen.
The guidelines call for hospital directors and head of departments to ensure that the flexi-schedule is arranged to give “protected time” for housemen to do Continuous Medical Education (CME) and Continuous Professional Development (CPD), whether in hospitals or at the department level.
“To ensure that housemen are able to perform hands-on procedures while under the supervision of a specialist or medical officer and that they receive the maximum exposure in training such as grand rounds, teaching rounds, CME, Operation Theatre time and day care services, the number of housemen on duty during the day must be more than those on night shifts,” according to the guidelines.
It also states that housemen will be paid a Flexible Working Allowance of RM600 a month but they will not be qualified for it if certain conditions applied such as during unpaid leave, half paid leave and rest days including weekly rest days and public holidays for more than 28 days in a row.
On Oct 7 last year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced that the Government had introduced a flexible schedule.