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Local shares fell on Friday as investors make last-minute adjustments to their portfolios ahead of the main index’s rebalancing, while unease over rising infections grows. 
PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) has called for the people to show their support for contract doctors who have not been given permanent positions in the public healthcare by going black.
Under its Code Black campaign from July 1 to 12, MMA has asked the public to change their personal profile pictures to black or monochrome, change their company/institution logo to black or monochrome and visit MMA SCHOMOS Facebook page for latest information and updates regarding contract doctors and help to share news.
On July 12, which is Black Monday, it asked the public to go to work as usual wearing black, if they are allowed to go their workplace under the MCO.
Share pictures of yourself holding a placard saying We stand with Contract Healthcare Workers with the hashtags #saveMYcontractHCW #BlackMondayMY #CodeBlackMY only, MMA president Prof Datuk Dr. Subramaniam Muniandy said today.
He said black was chosen to mourn the bright young talents we have lost to other countries, recognise the suffering of contract healthcare workers left in Malaysia, and Code Black (emergency code) is a hospital emergency code denoting a threat to personnel – in this case are the contract healthcare workers.
It has been nearly five years since December 2016 when the first batch of contract doctors started work. The pandemic has strained the system and shown us how important our contract doctors are, Subramaniam said.
Multiple meetings have been held, letters sent and statements were made and there is still no clear and firm answer from the government with regards to the future and welfare of our healthcare workers.
There are 23,077 contract doctors since 2016 but only 789 have been given permanent positions in our public healthcare.
He pointed out that for almost five years, the contract healthcare workers have been asking for:
Clear career/postgraduate pathway to specialization
Detailed and transparent criteria for permanent posts
Equal and fair treatment between contract and permanent staff
Job security for all doctors and allied healthcare workers
The contract doctors, many of whom are directly involved as frontliners in the fight against Covid-19 have been facing a long uncertainty about their future, he added.
