PETALING JAYA: The public services department (JPA) has given the health ministry a two-month extension for the implementation of the 45-hour work week for ward nurses.
In a letter to the ministry’s secretary-general yesterday, JPA said the new date would be Aug 1.
Adding that this would be the final extension, it urged hospitals to strictly follow its circular on the new working hours.
“The interim extension due to end on June 1 will now be extended to Aug 1. This is the final extension. All directives issued on the matter must be complied with,” it said.
However, it said the extension did not mean that health facilities which had already drawn up plans for the new shift hours could not proceed.
“With this extension, we hope that the health ministry will take the necessary measures to ensure that the implementation of the new work hours is carried out accordingly.”
JPA initially approved a period of three months from Dec 1 last year for hospitals to prepare for the implementation of a 45-hour work week.
The health ministry subsequently requested and received approval for an extension of the moratorium from March 1 to May 31. This was later extended again to June 1.
The Malayan Nurses Union had voiced strong protest against the additional hours, saying ward nurses were already under undue pressure working for 42 hours a week.
