I am writing to express my concern regarding the recent decision to reduce the intake of Ophthalmology Master’s candidates for the 2026/2027 session.
Applicants who attended the interview were informed by the Head of Service that the intake would be reduced from approximately 60 to 40 candidates this year. However, no clear justification was provided during the briefing.
This decision is particularly concerning in light of data published by the Ministry of Health (MOH) in June 2025, which indicates that Malaysia requires approximately 630 ophthalmologists in 2025, with demand projected to rise to 740 by 2030.
Currently, there are only 318 ophthalmologists in service, reflecting a significant shortfall of over 300 specialists. Given this context, the reduction in training positions appears inconsistent with the urgent need to expand the ophthalmology workforce.
It is also important to note that the Hadiah Latihan Persekutuan (HLP) application is only open to medical officers once annually. Those who are unsuccessful must wait another year to reapply, which may lead to frustration and attrition, with some opting to leave the public health care service altogether.
This not only results in the loss of experienced medical officers but also further limits the pipeline of future specialists.
While the MOH has consistently emphasised its commitment to addressing the national shortage of specialists, the reduction in Master’s programme intake appears to contradict this objective.
Ensuring a sufficient number of training positions is critical, particularly at a time when retaining medical officers and producing specialists are both urgent priorities.
I sincerely hope that this matter can be reviewed and clarified, in line with the broader goal of strengthening the nation’s health care workforce.
The author is a medical officer serving in the MOH. CodeBlue is providing the author anonymity because civil servants are prohibited from writing to the press.
- This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of CodeBlue.
