KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 — Several doctors have questioned a delay in results of Hadiah Latihan Persekutuan (HLP) subspecialty training applications ahead of the traditional July 1 intake.
A specialist said there is talk that HLP Tawaran C this year has been cancelled or postponed indefinitely due to budget cuts, hence the results being on hold even though interviews were conducted in early March.
“This means that the subspecialty service across all disciplines will be crippled, stretching the current subspecialists thin and putting them under pressure and risk of burnout,” the government specialist told CodeBlue last Friday.
“The impact is complex cases are left to generalists to handle and patients lose access to the best treatment available.”
A senior medical officer affirmed the same, saying results should have been out a fortnight ago. He added that there is no written document explaining the reasons for the delay or if this year’s subspecialty training has been cancelled.
An affected applicant said HLP Tawaran C results would usually be released latest in June, as he complained about the lack of transparency about the matter.
“Some rumours are that it has been postponed to October due to bigger issues,” the applicant told CodeBlue last Sunday.
“Personally, if you can’t offer this year due to very clear budget issues and if the place is confirmed for next year instead, for me it’s okay. The disappointment or rather dissatisfaction is because we have been left aloft without a direction.”
A subspecialist in the Ministry of Health (MOH) said many of his junior colleagues who applied for the 2026 subspecialty training intake have complained about being in limbo.
“As of now, many still do not know whether they have been accepted into their chosen training programmes. They do not know where they will be training, when they will start, or even whether they have secured a place at all,” the subspecialist told CodeBlue Sunday.
“Traditionally, subspecialty training commences on July 1 each year. Yet with less than a month remaining, there has been no official announcement regarding placement outcomes.
“For a profession built upon planning, preparation, and accountability, such uncertainty is difficult to comprehend.”
CodeBlue has requested comments from the MOH. Anonymity is provided to the four doctors interviewed by CodeBlue because civil servants are prohibited from speaking to the media.
Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said last month that “essential core services”, such as basic health services and drug and medical device supplies, would be protected from spending cuts, even though the MOH faces a whopping cut of up to RM4.65 billion, or 10 per cent, of its 2026 budget.
It’s unclear how much money was specifically allocated for subspecialty training this year. Under the MOH’s 2026 budget, RM570.6 million was allocated for training management.
The MOH did not heed a call by various quarters to disclose its proposed 2026 spending cuts that were meant to have been submitted to the Ministry of Finance (MOF) last May 15.
Besides cuts to current-year spending, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is also the finance minister, recently indicated that ministries may also face reduced allocations in the upcoming Budget 2027.
Hence, if this year’s subspecialty training intake was cancelled due to spending cuts, it’s unclear if next year’s intake will similarly be cancelled. A two-year suspension of subspecialty training will likely have a major impact on the subspecialist workforce in the public sector that is short of nearly 11,000 specialist doctors.
Anwar announced Sunday that the government would continue to cover the soaring cost of fuel subsidies, amid the United States-Israeli war with Iran, by implementing austerity measures and stopping the leakage of national funds.
On the 100th day of the Persian Gulf conflict yesterday, Iran and Israel exchanged strikes for hours, breaking a two-month ceasefire that began in April, The New York Times reported.
Update: MOH said in response that results of HLP subspecialty training applications would be out by June 16. Read more here.
