HLP bonds of RM350,000, RM500,000 or RM700,000 for 15 parallel pathway programmes exceed actual costs spent by the MOH on these scholarships for specialisation by between 47% (forensic) and 4,787% (ophthalmology). Actual costs include fees, allowances etc.
KUALA LUMPUR, June 16 — Hadiah Latihan Persekutuan (HLP) bonds of RM350,000 to RM700,000 are multiple-fold higher than the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) scholarship costs on 15 parallel pathway programmes.
According to slides on a June 5 briefing on the parallel pathway programme with the HLP and MOH scholarship, the extremely high scholarship bonds and contract period are as follows: RM350,000 five-year contract (local study), RM500,000 six-year contract (local study, exam abroad), and RM700,000 seven-year contract (combination of local and overseas study).
Scholarships for five local parallel pathway programmes with local exams – urology surgery, general medicine, paediatrics, family medicine (FRACGP), and family medicine (MICGP) – cost the MOH between RM13,000 and RM103,000 per student.
The government’s five-year contract for these four-year specialisation programmes is set at RM350,000, which is between 240 per cent and 2,592 per cent higher than the actual costs.
Meanwhile, the actual costs of scholarships for five local parallel pathway programmes with exams abroad – ophthalmology, obstetrics & gynaecology, psychiatry, radiology, and anaesthesiology – range from about RM10,231 to RM21,255 per student.
The full duration of these training programmes is four years, except for anaesthesiology that is six years’ long.
However, the government’s six-year HLP bond for these five specialisation programmes is RM500,000, which is 2,252 per cent to 4,787 per cent higher than the MOH’s costs.
The actual costs of scholarship for five parallel pathway programmes that comprise a combination of local and overseas study – emergency and trauma, oncology, plastic surgery, cardiothoracic surgery, and forensic – range from about RM16,257 to RM476,056 per student.
The full training programmes for oncology, plastic surgery, and forensic are four years’ long, while emergency and trauma is five years and cardiothoracic surgery is six years.
MOH’s seven-year contract of RM700,000 exceeds the scholarship costs of these specialisation programmes by 47 per cent to 4,206 per cent.
According to the presentation slides titled “Penguatkuasaan Perjanjian Penajaan Pendidikan” by the training management division’s task force unit, as sighted by CodeBlue, all types of failure or withdrawals are subject to repayment of the scholarships.
“The amount is subject to fees, allowances, and facilities that have been paid until the date of the breach of the agreement.”
“Actual costs” are defined as the costs paid by the MOH throughout one’s specialisation study, such as fees, allowances, and other facilities.
Appeals to penalties for breaking the scholarship bond can be made on the basis of health problems, reducing installment payments, and reducing the period of installment payments.
However, a student cannot appeal and must pay the full penalty for pro-rated penalties for resignations.
A reduction of payments will not be considered for a penalty based on the contract value that is imposed for resignations in cases of appeals for installment payments for up to five years.
“Whether a decision has been made or not on an appeal, the act of penalty is absolute and based on the law.”
Senior MO: Disproportionate Scholarship Bond Not The Way To Retain Talents
A senior medical officer (MO) based in the Klang Valley said the steep penalties for breaking HLP scholarship bonds are not proportionate to the bond, describing it as a “cheap way to trap people to work for the government.”
“Paying back RM500,000 for a training that cost the government only RM20,000 is excessive,” he told CodeBlue on condition of anonymity, citing the anaesthesiology programme as an example.
“It’s equivalent to punishing someone with interest rates of 2,400 per cent.”
He pointed out that doctors are already underpaid, as most HLP officers receive basic MO pay and are overworked in training hospitals. They also often pay their own expenses for books, courses, and exams.
The senior doctor claimed that training quality is often “substandard”, as many specialisation programmes suffer from the lack of protected training time, poor teaching, and service-heavy workloads.
“You’re not just asked to repay costs – you’re essentially buying back your freedom for a huge penalty,” he said. “The high penalty acts more like bondage, not service reimbursement.”
He pointed out that junior doctors will simply self-pay for MRCP for general medicine, for example, and emigrate out of Malaysia instead of getting tied to the HLP scholarship.
“Singapore is offering good money to those with MRCP; they also have the option of leaving for Ireland, the UK, Brunei etc.”
From Likes To Lifesavers: How Digital Ecosystems Are Powering Malaysia’s Blood Donation Movement — Dr Farzana Rizwan & Dr Imam Shaik
How Birds Are Taking A Hit From Microplastics Contamination
