Working hours extension for health professionals delayed

The Ministry of Health has postponed the implementation of the decision to increase the working hours of the employees of the professional agencies under the Ministry.

The official working hours of government employees are 8 am to 2 pm.

However, the official working hours of the Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA) and Health Protection Agency (HPA) employees would be extended to 4 pm from this month onwards, according to the ministry’s decision then.

Employees were informed of the increase in working hours last month by an internal memo, for employees who have migrated to the new pay framework.

Citing official concerns from employees over the change, the ministry said in an internal memo on Saturday that it wants to consult further with relevant authorities, before fixing working hours for technical staff.

Therefore, the memo asked them to continue working from 8 am to 2 pm as before.

The decision to change the working hours of health professionals was taken without consulting the Civil Service Commission (CSC).

The Health Ministry could not be reached for comment.