KUCHING: The Federal Government has been urged to review the allowances for nursing staff.
Malayan Nurses Union President Saaidah Athman said the review should take into account the “excessive” pressure faced by nurses who are separated from their families, work pressure and increased costs of living.
“Nurses from Sabah and Sarawak serving in the peninsula get an additional federal allowance of RM1,000 a month. This rate has never been reviewed.
“The government should not only review this federal allowance, but all allowances available to them,” she was quoted as saying in a news report by FMT.
Saaidah also called upon the Ministry of Health to offer a more attractive post-basic incentive allowance to prevent more nurses from quitting their jobs.
She added that the RM100 allowance a month has not been reviewed since 2007.
FMT reported that the allowance is given to paramedics with post-basic qualifications and advanced diplomas in fields approved by the ministry’s training institutes.
On March 7, Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr. Sim Kui Hian said that more than 800 nurses and paramedics have expressed their wish to return and serve in Sarawak.
The State Minister of Public Health, Housing, and Local Government said discussions under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) are ongoing to bring back Sarawakian medical personnel working outside the State due to local staff shortages.
Meanwhile, on March 8, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said the request of over 800 medical personnel to return and serve in Sarawak will be discussed in the upcoming MA63 Technical Committee meeting.
He also said the importance of balancing the workforce between Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia, ensuring that healthcare professionals are well-distributed across the country.
