Health Parliament Committee recommends maintaining 42-hour workweek

SHAH ALAM - The Parliamentary Special Select Committee (PSSC) on Health has proposed that the Health Ministry and Public Service Department retain the 42-hour workweek for healthcare workers, as previously implemented.

Its chairman Suhaizan Kaiat said the decision was made after conducting three engagement sessions with the Malaysian Medical Association, Malaysian Nurses Association and the Malaysian Association of Medical Assistants to address relevant issues.

"Increasing the workweek from 42 hours to 45 hours could pose health risks, such as higher work stress leading to physical and mental fatigue, increased risk of negligence in performing duties, reduced quality time with family and a higher chance of accidents during commutes to and from work.

"International benchmarks also indicate that the proposed work hours are unreasonable. Developed countries such as the United Kingdom and Japan set a 40-hour workweek, Australia 38 hours and France just 35 hours. Even Singapore adheres to a 40-hour workweek," he said in a statement, today.

Previously, the ministry reportedly intended to increase the work hours for nurses from 42 to 45 hours per week through the Service Circular No. 1 of 2024 concerning the Public Service Remuneration System.

However, the proposal received mixed reactions, including protests against the recommendation.

Meanwhile, Suhaizan highlighted that Malaysia still faced a shortage of healthcare staff, resulting in heavier workloads compared to other countries.

Thus, it is unreasonable to increase work hours beyond international benchmarks.

He said an additional three hours per week would result in a loss of 12 hours per month, equivalent to more than one full day of leave, negatively impacting staff well-being.

"The time that should be utilised for personal and family needs would be affected, thereby harming the work-life balance of healthcare staff.

"According to a survey conducted by the Malaysian Nurses Delegation, 95.5 per cent of 28,373 respondents disagreed with the proposed three-hour increase," he said.

The PSSC Health Committee has outlined several long-term solutions for the issue, which has garnered widespread attention.

"As a long-term resolution, priority should be given to immediately increasing the number of healthcare workers to reduce the existing workload and improve the quality of healthcare services provided to the public," he added.