A dear friend and former media colleague, K Parkaran, wrote an interesting piece in his Free Malaysia Today column a few days ago.

Titled “Doctors grouse over why MPs get so much more money,” the article highlighted the disparity in allowances paid to doctors in public service and legislators.

The article was prompted by a Health Ministry statement on doctors’ allowances with two doctors’ groups picking out the difference, with MPs getting RM400 for a few hours while doctors get RM200 for a 24-hour shift.

There is a lot of truth in what the doctors are saying and I will be the first to agree that their grouses and complaints are valid.

It is a fact that our doctors in public hospitals have long felt shortchanged compared to MPs, and their frustration is understandable.

We are aware that doctors in government hospitals routinely work long, grueling hours, sometimes exceeding 36-hour shifts, handling emergencies, wards and clinics with limited staff.

Yet, their on-call or shift allowances are relatively small, often not reflecting the intensity of their responsibilities or the sacrifices made

Very often, we seem to have forgotten that unlike many professions, doctors carry direct responsibility over human lives.

A single misstep can mean the difference between life and death, but the monetary recognition of this duty through allowances remains meager.

In contrast, MPs—whose roles are important but not life-critical—receive generous salaries and perks.

For the uninitiated, MPs enjoy a basic monthly allowance exceeding RM16,000, plus various perks such as travel, housing and pension benefits.

On top of that, many MPs hold other positions (minister, deputy minister, GLC chairmanships) that increase their income.

Doctors, meanwhile, rely heavily on basic pay with small, stagnant allowances despite being frontline workers during crises like the Covid-19 pandemic.

Many contract doctors in Malaysia remain stuck without permanent posts, limiting their chances for promotions and benefits.

This insecurity makes their modest allowances sting even more when compared to MPs who are often assured of multiple income streams.

The stark disparity fuels public debate on fairness.

Doctors are seen as essential service providers, while MPs are often criticized for politicking, absenteeism in Parliament or failing to deliver for their constituencies.

In the FMT article, one doctor was quoted as saying in a cynical post, “MPs are paid RM400 to attend and fight over renaming a flower and call each other names for a few hours but we doctors get only RM200 after struggling for 24 hours to save lives.”

When doctors struggling with modest pay compare themselves to lawmakers with high allowances, resentment naturally brews.

In short, doctors feel their allowances grossly undervalue their contribution to the nation, especially when juxtaposed with the far more generous compensation of MPs.

Why is it no surprise therefore to learn that medical doctors who have a successful political career do not return to practice medicine but choose to retire as politicians?

The choice before our leaders is stark: either invest in those who save lives, or be remembered as the politicians who let our healthcare system collapse.

A politician friend, an ex-MP and minister admitted that he had enjoyed his salary, allowance and other perks.

He said he was able to provide his family a reasonably comfortable life while in politics.

Today, he is enjoying his multiple pensions in retirement.

Compare that with the career of our doctors in government service.

So, who do we blame if our doctors in public service start to leave for the private sector or even migrate overseas in search of better job opportunities?

An online search reveals that between 2019 and 2023, over 6,400 medical officers (both contract and permanent) resigned. Meanwhile, nearly 1,050 specialists quit.

Government-wide data from the Ministry of Health reports 3,494 resignations of permanent medical officers and specialists from 2019 to mid-2023.

These numbers underscore a worrying trend. Malaysia is losing both volume and critical experience from its public healthcare workforce.

Are we not aware that none of the career politicians left politics because of low renumeration and overwork.

In fact, most of our legislators would love to stay put till the day they passed. This is how lucrative the job of a career politician has become.

Surely, it is timely for our government to be more generous with our doctors than with our politicians.

It is no secret that MPs and ministers are rewarded handsomely while young doctors who sacrifice years of study and endure punishing hours in overstretched hospitals are paid meagerly and often left on insecure contracts.

The irony is painful: those entrusted to heal the nation are the ones most neglected.

When our doctors aired their grouses, I believe that they are only asking for fairness, not luxuries.

They carry the immense responsibility of saving lives, yet many leave government service because the pay structure, career progression and allowances are unattractive compared to opportunities abroad.

Meanwhile, politicians continue to enjoy perks that far outweigh their actual contributions to the people. This imbalance reflects misplaced national priorities.

A healthy nation cannot exist without dedicated medical professionals, but it can certainly function with fewer career politicians.

Redirecting even a fraction of the allowances, pensions and privileges enjoyed by our political class towards better remuneration and retention schemes for doctors would be a bold and just move.

Malaysia must show genuine respect to its doctors, not just in words but in action. If we can afford to pamper politicians, surely we can afford to keep our doctors from walking away.

The choice before our leaders is stark: either invest in those who save lives, or be remembered as the politicians who let our healthcare system collapse.

(Francis Paul Siah is a veteran Sarawak editor and currently heads the Movement for Change Sarawak, MoCS. He can be reached at [email protected].)