The Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) will grant civil servant job status to 2,200 nurses before the end of the year.
Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-Ngam announced Wednesday that the cabinet had instructed the MOPH to draft up rules for the acceptance of the 2000+ nurses, which when combined with 800 vacancies, will allow for a total of some 3,000 nurses to be accepted as civil servants this year.
He said that the quota for next year will be limited at 2,900 positions, plus some others left vacant by retired personnel as the MOPH needs to reserve some positions for other medical professionals and scholarship students.
The cabinet also proposed the establishment of a commission to determine the number of personnel required in the MOPH to prevent such staff shortages from arising again. The committee will look after medical professionals in the civil servants system as the current public sector development committee does not have the scope of work to cover doctors and nurses.
The MOPH is to study plans for training new medical professionals to meet the increasing demand following the realization of ASEAN Economic Community and also to compensate for staff who opt to work at private hospitals and clinics.
Krea-Ngam suggested a study be taken on the feasibility of allowing special employment of medical professionals outside the civil service but provide them with similar benefits. He said many people are currently waiting to be officially hired as civil servants under the MOPH and the Ministry of Education.
