KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 ― The Ministry of Health (MoH) will review and update the provision of special allowances for eligible healthcare frontliners who are tasked with managing the Covid-19 pandemic in the country from time to time, said its minister Khairy Jamaluddin.

He said apart from doctors, nurses, and ambulance drivers who were currently among the staff who are eligible to receive the special allowance, there were still other groups involved in the management of the outbreak.

"Groups that are eligible to receive this special allowance will be updated from time to time, for example, physiotherapists involved in long Covid treatment who meet the criteria to get the special allowance,” he said during a question and answer session at the Dewan Rakyat today.

He was replying to a question posed by Datuk Dr Hasan Bahrom (PH-Tampin) who wanted to know about the payment of bonuses to healthcare frontliners.

Khairy said until December 31 last year, a total of RM1.1 billion in special allowances had been paid to frontline personnel.

In March 2020, the government announced a special allowance increase from RM400 to RM600 for healthcare workers such as doctors, nurses, and other medical staff who are directly involved in the management and containment of Covid-19 in the country.

On the complaint of frontliners who did not receive the special allowance for not taking the vaccine, Khairy said among the eligibility conditions was that the workers must get the Covid-19 vaccine in addition to other requirements including the number of working days.

"However, if the staff cannot receive the vaccine due to health issues, they are still eligible for the special allowance,” he said.

Meanwhile, in his reply to a question on the number of contract doctors who will be absorbed into permanent posts this year, Khairy said there are 3,586 medical officer posts this year.

He said the vacancies had been advertised on the Public Service Commission website since yesterday. ― Bernama