KUALA LUMPUR, July 8 — Over 2,400 nurses from both the private and public sectors applied to work overseas for better pay in 2023, while 20 specialist doctors resigned over the last 10 years for emigration abroad, according to Ministry of Health (MOH) data.
Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad, in a written Dewan Rakyat reply to Wong Shu Qi (PH-Kluang) on July 4, said data from the Malaysian Nursing Board for January to December 31, 2023, showed that 2,445 nurses applied to work abroad.
Of these, 1,553 (64 per cent) were private sector nurses, and 892 (36 per cent) were public sector nurses, including 259 from the MOH and 633 from statutory bodies. As of March 31, 2024, there are 70,508 nurses serving in the MOH.
Dzulkefly expects more than 6,000 additional nurses will be needed in MOH by the end of 2025. This projection is based on existing job vacancies due to attrition factors such as retirement and the creation of new positions for new and upgraded facilities.
“MOH is concerned about health care personnel leaving to work outside of MOH. This issue is also faced by private facilities, as some of their staff resign to work in other health care facilities within or outside the country,” Dzulkefly said.
MOH is currently recruiting nurses through the Public Service Commission (SPA) to ensure sufficient staffing in its facilities. The recruitment will be phased, targeting Diploma in Nursing graduates from both public and private higher education institutions, as well as graduates from MOH’s training institute (ILKKM). MOH plans to continue recruitment in 2024 and 2025 based on existing vacancies and new positions approved by the central agency.
Dzulkefly said MOH is also collaborating with the Ministry of Higher Education to lift the moratorium on new private nursing college openings to increase local nurse production.
MOH aims to increase the intake of MOH-sponsored Diploma in Nursing trainees from 1,000 to 2,000 annually, and expand the Programme for Community Nurses (Peningkatan Secara Lantikan or PSL) intake from 800 to 1,000 individuals per year.
Meanwhile, in a separate reply to Shahidan Kasim (PN-Arau), who inquired about resignations of specialist doctors from MOH to work abroad or join the private sector, Dzulkefly said 20 specialist doctors resigned to emigrate overseas.
This number represents 1 per cent of the 1,991 specialist doctors who quit the public health service between 2013 and 2023. One of the main reasons for their emigration is higher salaries.
Dzulkefly did not provide specific figures on the number of MOH specialists who resigned to join the private sector. However, it is likely that the majority of specialist doctors who left the MOH during the same period did so to join the private sector.
Dzulkefly merely said that the issue of employees migrating from one organisation to another is a “universal issue” that also applies to other fields of work.
Two “brain drain” studies conducted by the Institute for Health Management under MOH suggested strategies to enhance the retention of MOH specialists, including increasing salaries, improving career opportunities, and workplace environments.
To address specialist migration, initiatives such as faster promotions, special salary increases, opportunities for further education and short courses abroad have been implemented, according to Dzulkefly.
Additional measures like Full Paying Patient (FPP) services in certain hospitals and flexible work arrangements – such as granting one day off per week and allowing locum work outside official hours – aim to retain specialists within MOH. These efforts are supported by ongoing improvements in work environments and incentives.
“MOH, supported by central agencies, continues to improve workplace environments, incentives, and facilities over time. These improvements aim to address, or at least minimise, the tendency of specialists to migrate out of MOH,” Dzulkefly said.
