00:00A nurses' group has criticized the health ministry's decision requiring them to continue
00:05working 45 hours a week.
00:07This comes after the cabinet decided to cancel the proposed optional Waktu Bekerja Berlainan
00:12shift system for healthcare workers.
00:14Malaysian Male Nurses Chairman Julihan Kamaris said the decision showed there was a double
00:19standard in practice, adding that it has caused dissatisfaction among nurses, Utusan Malaysia
00:24reported.
00:25Julihan said if the WBB could be cancelled for a more in-depth study, the same should
00:29be done for the 45-hour workweek for nurses, which was implemented on December 1, as not
00:35a single nurse agreed with the increase in working hours from 42 to 45 hours a week.
00:40Julihan said various nursing associations had submitted a study on this issue previously,
00:45but the ministry did not accept it.
00:47In November, five nursing associations said a survey it conducted among nurses found that
00:53increasing nurses' weekly working hours could undermine the effectiveness of healthcare
00:57service delivery.
00:59WBB, which sought to limit on-call hours for doctors from 33 to 18 hours, was criticized
01:04for cutting healthcare workers' allowances by including extended shifts into the standard
01:0945-hour workweek.
01:11While healthcare workers would work fewer hours, they stood to lose income as they would
01:15not be granted an allowance for working past 5 p.m. on weekdays.
01:19Donny Sartorezza, FMT News.
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