“Code Black” Movement in Malaysia: The Psychological Repercussions

Code black, a hospital emergency code, is conventionally activated during a hospital bomb threat. The recent ‘Code black’ online movement in Malaysia, initiated by the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) Section Concerning House Officers, Medical Officers, and Specialists (SCHOMOS), calls for an urgent reformation from the Malaysian government on the job security and welfare of contract HCWs. Reasons cited include junior medical officers (MO) are, since the sudden switching to contract hire basis in December 2016, deprived from having an equal benefit as compared to their permanent counterparts, lacking of transparent criteria for permanent position and hence prohibited from further undergoing postgraduate specialization training without a permanent position. Subsequently, junior MOs are venturing into the private sector or overseas for specialization training, leading to the exacerbation of HCWs brain drain in Malaysia. Please click PDF below to download the full paper...