Health Minister Denies Dr Akmal’s Claim That MOH Made a ‘U-Turn’ on On-Call Allowances

UMNO Youth Chief Dr Akmal Saleh has been making headlines recently, going viral for issues ranging from flag errors to criticism of ministers. His latest remarks target Minister of Health, Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.

Taking to social media, Akmal raised concerns about several aspects of Malaysian healthcare, particularly on-call allowances. He highlighted what he claimed were questionable decisions by the Ministry of Health (MOH).

In a Facebook post, Akmal wrote, “For the YB’s attention, when it was announced that there would be a raise in on-call allowances, our healthcare workers felt appreciated, even though the amount wasn’t significant.”

“…but when there’s a U-turn stating that the on-call allowances will not be given, they feel cheated and disappointed.”

But is that really the case?

In a recent statement, Health Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad refuted Akmal’s claims, stating that the matter will be tabled in Parliament soon.

“The Ministry of Health is committed to finalising the review of the On-Call Allowance (ETAP) rate increase, which has been in progress recently.”

“The review will be presented together with the Public Service Department (JPA) to the Cabinet in the near future for consideration and approval, so that implementation can begin in 2026,” he said.

Dr Dzulkefly also highlighted other allowances currently provided to healthcare workers, noting that ETAP is part of the ministry’s future planning.

“MOH staff currently receive various types of allowances for those eligible, including the Critical Service Incentive Payment, Specialist Incentive Payment, After Office Hours Duty Allowance at Health Clinics and Patient Treatment Clinics in Hospital Emergency Departments (Locum Allowance), Elective Surgery Allowance, and Pre-Gazetted Specialist Incentive Payment (BIPPW).”

As of now, Dr Akmal has not responded to the minister’s statement on any of his social media platforms.

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Also read: “Akmal Saleh, grow up” – Yeo Bee Yin Calls UMNO Youth Chief Childish, Says He Desperately Needs Attention