KUALA LUMPUR, July 30 — The number of specialist doctors leaving the public health service has increased by 57 per cent in the past five years, according to official data.
Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad told Senator Dominic Lau Hoe Chai in a written Dewan Negara reply last July 25 that 917 specialist doctors resigned between 2019 and 2023, although data for 2021 is not available.
Dzulkefly provided a breakdown that showed a fluctuating pattern of resignations, with 2023 alone reporting 359 resignations – more than double from the previous year and the highest in the past five years:
“Based on the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) analysis, the average number of medical specialists resigning annually over the past decade is 199,” Dzulkefly said.
In 2022 and 2023, the number of specialists who resigned by field was as follows:
- Paediatrics: 78
- Internal Medicine: 76
- Anesthesiology: 57
- Radiology: 37
- Orthopaedics: 34
- Ophthalmology: 34
- General Surgery: 33
- Obstetrics and Gynaecology: 25
- Otorhinolaryngology: 24
- Psychiatry: 21
- Emergency Medicine: 17
- Pathology: 17
- Public Health: 11
- Family Medicine: 10
- Dentistry: 10
- Dermatology: 8
- Neurosurgery: 7
- Nephrology: 5
- Rehabilitation: 5
- Radiotherapy and Oncology: 4
- Respiratory Medicine: 3
- Plastic Surgery: 3
- Neurology: 3
- Nuclear Medicine: 2
- Urological Surgery: 1
- Sports Medicine: 1
- Transfusion Medicine: 1
Dzulkefly said 2023 also saw the resignation of at least 2,010 medical officers (MOs) in 2023. However, of these, 1,086 involved contract medical officers who were forced to resign before taking up permanent positions in the MOH.
The MOH now mandates that contract medical officers resign before starting as permanent hires in the public service. This policy, introduced under former Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa, appears to be the government’s attempt for a clean break from all contract doctor issues, by forcing contract medical officers to resign before they can join the public service afresh as permanent hires.
“This resignation allows for more orderly and effective management of contract rewards by their respective department heads,” Dzulkefly said in his written parliamentary response.
The remaining 924 medical officers resigned for reasons such as competency or performance issues, personal reasons, or a desire to work in public universities or the private sector. This number represents a 31.8 per cent decrease from 1,354 officers in 2022, Dzulkefly said.
CodeBlue previously reported that although the number of contract medical officers who quit declined 32 per cent from 1,354 in 2022 to 924 in 2023, seven-year data from 2017 to 2023 shows an overall rising trend of resignations among contract doctors.
To address the issue of resignations, Dzulkefly said the MOH launched a special recruitment process through an advertisement by the Public Service Commission (SPA) in July 2024.
This process will allow medical officers contracted since December 2016, whether still serving in MOH or working elsewhere, to apply within the advertisement period.
