Malaysia's health ministry under fire for ‘lavish' Hari Raya celebration amid healthcare workers' woes
PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia's Health Ministry has come under fire for organising a seemingly extravagant Hari Raya event on Tuesday (Apr 22) amid challenges faced by healthcare workers who are reportedly underpaid and overworked.
Veteran Malaysian singers like Siti Nurhaliza and Jamal Abdillah performed at the Majlis Sambutan Hari Raya Aidilfitri 2025, which Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim attended.
In the wake of the backlash, Siti Nurhaliza clarified on Instagram that she had performed for free, while Health Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said he appreciated the concerns raised and acknowledged the 'criticism received is fair'.
'Let this be a reminder for all. We'll continue working to address systemic issues for our health workers,' he said in a post on X.
Without naming the singer, Dzulkefly said one of them had performed without any payment to honour the prime minister as well as healthcare workers 'from the headquarters'.
These workers, he said, included guests from other agencies, ministries, universities and the private sector that have been part of the country's healthcare system.
The event has been criticised on social media by many healthcare workers including the contract doctors' group Hartal Doktor Kontrak, which called it 'tone deaf' in the face of the healthcare sector's struggles.
'Our OT (overtime) allowance is super low, claims get rejected all the time, (some) equipment cannot be purchased due to the lack of funding but at least the ministry's top management can have fun with famous artists,' Hartal Doktor Kontrak said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that garnered over 5,400 likes and 2,700 comments.
'It is disheartening to witness Malaysia's frontline health workers grappling with unpaid on-call claims, severe understaffing and perilous working conditions while the Ministry of Health chooses to host a lavish Hari Raya concert featuring celebrities,' netizen @ksampoh posted on X on Wednesday.
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