PETALING JAYA: Phasing out the contract system for medical officers is among the measures being taken to address staffing crisis in the Health Ministry’s facilities, says Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad (pic). This includes the phasing out of the contract system for Medical Officers; mandatory mobilisation to ensure fair workforce distribution; streamlining house officers’ training for faster integration; and enhancing healthcare workers’ welfare. The Johor state health department said in January that contract medical officers have been mobilised to several hospitals in the state. A dire shortage was also reported at the state’s main hospital, Hospital Sultanah Aminah in Johor Baru. In an interview with The Star in October last year, Dzulkefly said a proposal to end the contract system will be tabled to the Cabinet.

PETALING JAYA: Para badminton ace Cheah Liek Hou is simply unstoppable. The 37-year-old smashed his way to a superb ninth men’s singles and seventh men’s doubles title in style at the World Championships in Manama, Bahrain, yesterday. The double Paralympic champion has won a total of 16 titles since making his debut in the Hsinchu world meet in 2005. Liek Hou was elated. I’m happy because I could maintain my condition throughout the tournament,” said Liek Hou.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 15): Bersatu’s Lembah Pantai and Larut divisions have announced their dissolution with immediate effect. In a video posted on Bersatu’s official Facebook page, the Larut division leadership said the move was taken due to a loss of confidence in party president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. Larut division deputy chief Mohd Noh Md Daud said the decision was made after receiving a full mandate from leaders at various levels within the division. “A total of 48 branches under the Larut division have declared the dissolution of the division after losing confidence in the party leadership under Muhyiddin. “This decision was further reinforced by the dismissal of deputy president Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin and Larut division chief Mohd Hassundi Hamzah,” he said.

Honour promise to phase out contract system, HDK tells govtPETALING JAYA: Putrajaya must honour its word to phase out the contract system, which has become the source of the manpower crisis in public healthcare. He said the proposed steps are still insufficient to resolve the current healthcare crisis because the workforce crisis is severe. He also questioned the lack of a clear timeline to end the contract system and highlighted the failure to meet the doctor-to-population ratio target. Independent health advocate Dr Sean Thum said the contract system, which was introduced in 2016 was the biggest human resource policy mistake. A costly mistake that affected the Malaysian public healthcare system, and the ones paying for it are the general public and the healthcare workers.

GEORGE TOWN: Three people escaped unhurt when a tree fell and crushed the two cars they were in at Jalan Mount Erskine here early on Sunday (Feb 15). "Upon arrival, we found two vehicles, a Perodua Viva and a Perodua Bezza, crushed under a fallen tree. The three victims inside the two cars managed to escape before our team arrived. "A man and a woman were in the Perodua Viva, while the Perodua Bezza was driven by a man. He added that the Operations Response Team (PKO) carried out tree-cutting and removal work using specialised equipment, and the operation ended at 3.29am.- Bernama

Couple celebrates by tying the knot this Valentine’s DayKULAI: Char kuay teow, as it turns out, is the way to a woman’s heart. “I was honestly impressed by how tasty his char kuay teow is. “When I found out he sells char kuay teow, it made me even more curious. For another couple, Ng Boon Long, 33, and Chong Ting Huan, 35, their love story began on the badminton court. Association president Datuk Tan Ek Seng said Valentine’s Day remained one of the most popular dates for couples to register their marriages.

KUALA LUMPUR: Bersatu has lodged reports with the police, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and Meta following the alleged unauthorised takeover of its official Facebook page on Thursday (Feb 12) afternoon. Party information chief Datuk Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz said the reports were made to ensure immediate action is taken by the authorities. He said several administrators were removed from the page following the hijacking, after which a series of posts attacking the party and its leadership were published. “The content uploaded is unauthorised, does not represent the party’s official stance and was posted without the consent of Bersatu leadership,” he said in a statement on his Facebook page on Saturday (Feb 14). “Bersatu is taking all necessary steps to regain full control of its official page and to strengthen the party’s digital security,” he added.

The roll-out of the BWC began in October 2024 with 7,648 body cameras deployed to all state police contingent and formations. Now, all state police contingents are equipped with the device,” Comm Mohd Yusri said. Prior to this, the wearing of the body cameras in lock-ups was enforced on Aug 22 last year. Comm Mohd Yusri said that Selangor received the largest number of BWCs with 1,328 units distributed, followed by Perak (968) and Johor (952). He said that the police force are hoping to receive an additional 10,000 body cameras under the 13th Malaysia Plan.

Wong Chun Wai began his career as a journalist in Penang, and has served The Star for over 35 years in various capacities and roles. He is now group editorial and corporate affairs adviser to the group, after having served as group managing director/chief executive officer. On The Beat made its debut on Feb 23 1997 and Chun Wai has penned the column weekly without a break, except for the occasional press holiday when the paper was not published. In May 2011, a compilation of selected articles of On The Beat was published as a book and launched in conjunction with his 50th birthday. Chun Wai also comments on current issues in The Star.

GEORGE TOWN: Love exists between friends, bringing them closer than any brotherly or sisterly bond ever can. And for elderly folk sharing a home for senior citizens, that bond can be stronger than ­anything a Valentine’s Day can bring. “This place was foreign to me and I was scared but meeting Ang made it feel like home,” she said. We are all ageing.”She said when she gets up, she usually looks for Goh to have breakfast together. But as they are vegetarian dishes, we reserve our outings for special non-vegetarian meals,” said Goh.

MyNIISe speeds up immigration clearance at Penang airportGEORGE TOWN: Expecting long queues, Ray and Sandy Owens from Australia budgeted an hour to clear immigration at the Penang International Airport. Instead, they were through in about 10 minutes using the National Integrated Immigration System (MyNIISe) and ended up idling at the airport while waiting for Ray’s brother to drive in from Batu Ferringhi. Ray, 53, said his brother would usually leave home only after the plane landed because immigration clearance often took time. He said MyNIISe would shorten waiting times for arrivals and departures. MCA vice-president Datuk Tan Teik Cheng said recurring complaints over immigration clearance must be addressed.

KUALA TERENGGANU: A 35-year-old businessman lost RM100,900 after being duped by an online share investment scam syndicate that lured him with promises of high returns. Kuala Terengganu OCPD Asst Comm Azli Mohd Noor said the victim received a WhatsApp message on Dec 16 last year from a male Indonesian client offering him a partnership in a share investment scheme. Drawn by the promise of lucrative returns, the businessman made 15 transactions totalling RM100,900 into 15 different accounts as instructed between Dec 17, 2025 and Jan 24. "Besides exhausting his savings, he also sold five motorcycles and borrowed money from friends and close relatives to finance the so-called investment today. Police have urged the public to remain cautious of investment offers that promise unusually high returns and to verify schemes before committing any funds.- Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 15): Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) is offering a 20% discount for selected Electric Train Service (ETS) trips from Sunday (Feb 15) to Feb 22 in conjunction with the Chinese New Year celebrations and the start of Ramadan. KTMB, in a statement, said the offer covers all ETS travel sectors. Passengers can enjoy the discount by using the promo codes ETSANGPOW20 and ONGTRAIN20 for selected dates when purchasing tickets. Tickets can be purchased via the KITS mobile app, the official KTMB website, or KTMB kiosk machines at selected stations. For further information, the public can visit the official KTMB website or contact the KTMB call centre at 03-9779 1200.

BERSATU president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has finally laid down the scalpel, having performed the radical political surgery he deemed necessary to preserve his authority over his party. The diagnosis he delivered to the party was absolute: a spreading malignancy identified as Team Hamzah. To Muhyiddin, this faction was no longer just a dissenting voice; it was an immense threat – a cancerous growth that had developed its own DNA, and that was operating independently of the party’s central nervous system.

Meanwhile, Trump has amassed military forces in the region, raising fears of new military action. The United States sent two aircraft carriers to the region last year, when it carried out strikes against Iranian nuclear sites. However, June's "Midnight Hammer" operation was essentially a one-off US attack, with stealth bombers flying from the United States to strike Iranian nuclear facilities. Retaliatory Iranian strikes also increase the risk of a regional conflict. The same official said the United States fully expected Iran to retaliate, leading to back-and-forth strikes and reprisals over time.