‘Fill healthcare vacancies quickly'

The Star

3 days ago

Fahmi: 'Appointment of Auditor-General does not contravene Federal Constitution.' — Bernama
PUTRAJAYA: Cut the red tape and quickly fill the over 4,000 vacancies at public health facilities, says Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil.
This was the message from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to the Health Ministry (MOH) at the weekly Cabinet meeting yesterday, Fahmi said.
'The Prime Minister has requested that the bureaucratic process, which is seen as possibly causing this delay, be expedited, given that MOH had originally expected most or all of the positions to only be filled by November.
'But the Prime Minister believes this is too late. So the process will be sped up,' Fahmi, who is the unity government's spokesperson, told reporters, Bernama reported.
On July 23, Anwar said the government will quickly fill up 4,352 vacancies in public clinics and hospitals, including appointing contract doctors.
At the Cabinet meeting, Fahmi said Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad gave a commitment to shorten the time needed to fill the posts without compromising on procedures.
On another matter, Fahmi said the appointment of Datuk Seri Wan Suraya Wan Mohd Radzi as Auditor-General is lawful and does not contravene the Federal Constitution.
This was confirmed by Chief Secretary to the Government (KSN) Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar who was present at the Cabinet meeting.
'From a constitutional perspective, there is no issue.
'The appointment aligns with what is clearly stated in the Federal Constitution,' added Fahmi.
He said the KSN also clarified that Wan Suraya had ceased to be a civil servant at the time she agreed to take on the role of Auditor-General.
'This means there is no issue of her being an active civil servant at the time of her appointment,' he said, noting that the Public Service Department is expected to issue an official statement soon to provide further clarification.
The clarification comes amid recent claims by several quarters alleging that Wan Suraya's appointment as Auditor-General was unconstitutional.
Critics argued that the role should be held by someone who has already retired or formally resigned from the civil service, to preserve the independence of the office from the executive branch.