KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 3 — The Ministry of Health (MOH) has confirmed the extension of the contracts of health workers which end this year.

Its secretary-general Datuk Seri Mohd Shafiq Abdullah said the Public Service Commission had on Jan 26 and 28, agreed to approve the renewal of contracts of 1,243 Grade U29 Assistant Medical Officers involving graduates of the MOH training institutes whose contracts ended on Feb 2.

"The notification on the extension of these contracts has already been made to the heads of department.

"Offers of contract extension for other cohorts whose contracts expire in 2022 will be made in phases as soon as the MOH’s approval is accepted by the central agency and the Public Service Commission,” he said in a statement today.

Mohd Shafiq said the extension of contracts was made taking into account the country’s shift from the pandemic to the endemic phase and the efforts taken to revive the backlogged services due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Referring to an article published by Utusan Malaysia on Feb 2 (yesterday) titled, ‘It’s the turn of the Assistant Medical Officers to strike tomorrow?’, he said that MOH valued the important role of the Assistant Medical Officers in being together with the other frontliners, especially in tackling the pandemic. — Bernama