LETTER | The Malayan Nurses Union (MNU), Sabah Medical Services Union (SMSU Sabah), Sarawak Medical Services Union (SMSU Sarawak), and Labour Solidarity and Learning Resources Association (LLRC) welcome the decision of the Health Ministry to impose a moratorium on the implementation of a 45-hour work week for public hospital nurses.
However, we believe that the ministry should repeal this new policy which will have a major negative impact on already overburdened nurses, and maintain the 42-hour shift work for these healthcare professionals.
Increasing working hours will affect the quality of health services. The nursing workforce will be at risk of mental fatigue, burnout, and medical liability if they are forced to work longer hours.
A study by University of Toronto academic Katherine Scott-Marshall found that if a nurse works eight hours in a row, the risk of negligence increases by 34 percent, and for nurses who work more than 40 hours a week, the probability of making mistakes for patients increases by 50 percent.
The new 45-hour policy not only contradicts the principle of reducing working hours in the Employment Amendment Act 2022, it also contradicts the Pakatan Rakyat Manifesto 2022 titled "Kita Boleh" which highlights the idea of a "Ekonomi Manusiawi (human economy)" (pages 25-26).
The manifesto proposes an injection of public investment and the creation of more inclusive social protection, "professionalising the care sector so that it is given a degree of respect that is no less than other professional health sectors such as nursing..."
How can the nursing sector be professionalized if the burden on nurses is increasing with longer shift work hours?
The real solution to improving health services is not by burdening existing nurses but by increasing the health workforce. The government must allocate more funds to employ nurses and address the issue of brain drain by providing higher wages for nurses, which are considered the lowest in the Southeast Asian region.
The four unions that signed this press statement recommended that the Health Ministry, the Public Service Department, and the Parliamentary Select Committee on Healthcare prioritise the physical and mental health of nurses, creating quality and sustainable health services. The right to health of Malaysians can only be guaranteed if government institutions enact humane policies for the nursing sector.
In the long term, the government led by Anwar Ibrahim should consider reducing the weekly working hours of all workers, including nurses, to 40 hours so that Malaysian workers achieve a work-life balance and the level of ILO Convention C47 on 40-hour work week.
Signed by:
Malayan Nurses' Union (MNU)
Sabah Medical Services Union (SMSU Sabah)
Sarawak Medical Services Union (SMSU Sarawak)
Labour Solidarity and Learning Resources Association (LLRC)
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