Since the introduction of the contract doctor system in Malaysia in 2016, all newly qualified Medical Officers (MO) in Malaysia are offered contract posts by default, with the opportunity to apply for permanent posts later. Applications for permanent MO posts had been very competitive.
In May 2021 when I was working as a Teaching Fellow at NUMed, I made the firm decision to become a Medical Lecturer after completing House Officer (HO) training. Therefore, I felt that the contract vs permanent MO issue didn't concern me at all.
In June 2021, after talking to a Senior Lecturer at NUMed for career advice, only did I realise the fact that only permanent MOs would have the opportunity to apply for specialty training programmes in Malaysia and only recognised Medical Specialists on the National Specialist Register (NSR) would be allowed to practise as Medical Lecturers starting from 2023.
In August 2021, I started my HO training at Kluang hospital. Due to the challenges of HO training, I struggled with it a lot and performed poorly in my first 4 HO placements. Consequently, I felt that my chances of getting a permanent MO post were very low.
Starting from January 2022, contract MOs are finally allowed to join specialty training programmes in Malaysia. Following that, I felt that getting a permanent MO post was no longer important. As time went on, more permanent MO posts became available and competition for permanent MO posts reduced, giving me a realistic chance of getting it.
After I completed my HO training in January 2024, I became a contract MO. In July 2024, the application for permanent MO posts was open for my batch for the first time. At that time, my plan was to leave clinical practice to be a Medical Lecturer at the earliest available opportunity. I decided not to apply for a permanent MO post and let someone else who really wanted a permanent MO post have it instead.
However, my applications for Medical Lecturer posts were unsuccessful. In October 2024, I was transferred to Klinik Kesihatan Ibu dan Anak (KKIA) Limbang. As it turned out, I had a really enjoyable experience working at KKIA Limbang, enabling me to discover my true interest in Family Medicine. Following that, I decided to pursue Family Medicine specialty training through the Graduate Certificate in Family Medicine - Advanced Training in Family Medicine (GCFM-ATFM).
Unfortunately, KKIA Limbang didn't fulfill the training requirements of the GCFM-ATFM. I had to transfer to another Klinik Kesihatan (KK) that fulfills the programmes's training requirements. The most straightforward way to get the transfer would be to apply for a permanent MO post and then select the KK through ePlacement.
The next time the application for permanent MO posts opened was in August 2025. However, it wasn't open for my batch, it was only open for the junior batches. I still tried applying for it, but my application was quickly rejected. I regretted not applying for a permanent MO post back when I had the opportunity in July 2024.
In March 2026, the application for permanent MO posts was open once again. Thankfully, it was open for several batches including my batch. I quickly submitted my application for it. On 21 May 2026, I was informed that my application was successful. I then received the offer letter for the permanent MO post on 25 May 2026.
Subsequently, the ePlacement was open on 28 July 2026. where I selected my preferred KK. On 20 August 2026, I was informed that I had been allocated to Pejabat Kesihatan Daerah (PKD) Kulim as a permanent MO.
On 28 September 2026, I reported for duty at PKD Kulim, where I received confirmation that I had been allocated to KK Taman Selasih. KK Taman Selasih is my preferred KK as it has received full accreditation as a training site of the GCFM-ATFM and is located close to my house in Kulim. I began working as a permanent MO at KK Taman Selasih on 5 October 2026.
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