By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Aug 18: The Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH) is intensifying efforts to fill vacancies in the healthcare sector, with priority given to Sarawak and Sabah to address the critical shortage of manpower in rural areas.
According to a TVS news report, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the ministry has adopted various measures, including tackling the issue of resignations among medical officers and nurses.
“Based on records, a total of 1,856 permanent medical officers and 1,754 permanent nurses have resigned between 2020 and 2024.
“However, during the same period, MOH appointed 13,349 medical officers and 8,121 trained nurses on a permanent basis,” he said.
The drive to strengthen staffing also includes the large-scale absorption of contract medical officers into permanent positions since 2023, surpassing the government’s original targets.
“To reinforce staffing, since 2023, the government has offered permanent appointments to 13,552 contract medical officers, exceeding the original target of 12,800 for the 2023 to 2025 period.
“On average, more than 4,000 medical officers are appointed permanently each year, which is above the set target,” he added.
To ensure sufficient supply of nurses, the intake of Diploma in Nursing trainees at MOH training institutes has also been increased from 1,000 in 2023 to 3,000 starting 2025.
In addition, the moratorium on the Diploma in Nursing programme in public and private higher education institutions was lifted effective Aug 1, 2024, which is expected to boost the number of institutions offering nursing programmes.
“Their services are greatly needed as we are aware of the rising number of patients seeking treatment at MOH facilities every year,” he stressed.
In addressing the shortage of rural manpower, MOH had previously allocated 960 permanent medical officer placements in Sarawak and Sabah under the first phase.
Dr Dzulkefly further noted that the measure is intended to ensure comprehensive and equitable public healthcare services, particularly in rural areas. — DayakDaily
