The passion to serve and to heal is what drives all healthcare professionals, be they nurses, pharmacists, dentists or doctors. Many of us serving within the healthcare services all speak of the same calling to treat the sick and the less fortunate. We speak of wanting to serve, wanting to heal and wanting to do more for those who are in need. Healthcare workers, more so doctors were often looked up upon and despite being ill, when a patient were to walk into the consultation room, they would be able to feel better knowing that help is nearby.
 
The profession is one filled with sacrifices. Every healthcare professional has given up much of their youth, family time and health to learn and be trained in order to be able to better heal the patients under their care. For these sacrifices, healthcare professionals received a few incentives, one of them being the critical allowance as the profession was deemed an essential element to the growth of the country. With the introduction of the contract positions as well as the limited positions available, the job security which was enjoyed in the past for most healthcare professionals has been lost.
 
We recently received news that the critical allowance for healthcare staffs would be removed beginning 1st January 2020. The ones being affected by this are the newly employed junior staff. Already faced with bleak career prospects and little chance for permanent positions, this decrease of nearly 15% of a newly graduated doctor, nurse, pharmacist and dentist’s pay is a significant one. This will of course affect the morale of the junior healthcare professional, leading to reductions in productivity and overall job satisfaction. A question to ask is money all there is? It is most definitely not just the monetary gain, but the recognition that the services we provide are critical and appreciated.
 
We have always been told that the people come first. Service is a priority. And this is why we continue to sacrifice our lunches and dinners, our time with our families, our health as every day we miss work means an added burden unto someone else. The list of sacrifices goes on and on. When we reach our breaking point, many leave, not just for private practice but to other countries to serve. The training, experience and expertise they have obtained then leaves with them, leaving our beloved country and its healthcare services at a lost.
 
Why does the civil service seem to be targeting the healthcare workers? We are the only professional scheme with contract juniors. We are now faced with a sharp reduction in our incentives. There seems to be an ever increasing burden being placed on our juniors, and this we from the associations feel to be unfair.
 
While we support prudence and ensuring a leaner civil service, this should never come at the expense of the critical areas for the development of the country, namely health and education. Stand with us and support our petition to reinstate the critical allowances for all healthcare professionals – the nurses, the medical assistants, pharmacists, dentists and doctors. Stand with us as we call for #justiceforourjuniors

#MMA

#SCHOMOS

Dr. Vijay Ganasan, 

Vice Chairman, 

SCHOMOS MMA

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Thank you everyone who has signed!