PETALONG JAYA: The Ministry of Health’s ePlacement system is anticipated to reopen sometime between May and June, according to Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad.

According to a Berita Harian report, Dzulkefly mentioned that the ministry anticipates restarting the ePlacement system following its completion and testing phase. This system enables contract doctors to apply for permanent roles.

“This new ePlacement system is more equitable and does not rely on the ‘first-come, first-served’ approach, which previously caused technical issues,” he stated.

We will revamp and reimagine the system to ensure every aspect is considered… we aim to avoid everyone opting for positions in the Klang Valley; it’s crucial to have opportunities available in Sabah and Sarawak as well.

On March 17, the ministry announced that the planned placement session for 2,245 candidates scheduled for that day needed to be rescheduled because of significant technical issues triggered by “abnormal access” to the ePlacement system.

The report indicated that during the placement session held on February 27, the ePlacement website was visited more than 19 million times. This massive traffic overload caused the system to crash, making the database inaccessible.

The placement session held on February 27th witnessed more approvals than originally allotted, with fewer than 1% of positions occupied in both Sabah and Sarawak.

The ministry additionally mentioned that the placement session planned from March 25-27 has been postponed because of some technical issues. They also stated they were striving to develop a “clear, equitable, and merit-driven” process.