Health Ministry approves Pre-Gazette Specialist Incentive Payment
The Health Ministry said the payment would begin as soon as a medical officer starts their supervised work experience.
Supervised work experience refers to the mandatory probationary period during which medical officers, after completing their specialist training, are supervised by a senior medical officer to ensure they are fully competent in fulfilling their roles as specialists.
The ministry said the rate would be equivalent to the existing Specialist Incentive Payment and would be determined based on the medical officer's grade (Grades 10 to 14).
"Before the Medical Act 1971 was amended in 2024, this process was known as the specialist gazette process, where the medical officer would only receive the Specialist Incentive Payment after completing the gazettement.
"The implementation of the Pre-Gazette Specialist Incentive Payment is in line with the Medical Act 2024 (Amendment) (Act A1729), which came into force on July 1," it said today.
The ministry said the incentive recognises the responsibilities and workload of medical officers during their supervised work experience, which involves performing duties comparable to those of a qualified specialist.
It said specialist training programmes in the country were now more regulated with the enforcement of the amended act.
Medical practitioners previously affected by issues surrounding the recognition and registration of specialties, particularly in cardiothoracic surgery, family medicine, plastic surgery and generic pathology, can now be considered for registration.
"The ministry is committed to strengthening the national health system and hopes that all medical officers can continue to contribute to the well-being of society," it said.
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