Kota Kinabalu: Malaysia’s healthcare sector is expected to face a difficult situation with a projected shortage of more than 13,000 medical specialists by 2030.
The shortage of doctors in the country has reached a serious level and requires significant restructuring of career opportunities in the profession, said Beckbencers (BBC) Sabah chairman Datuk Masiung Banah.
He said the Government, particularly the Health Ministry (MOH), had no choice but to compete with the more attractive employment packages offered by developed countries.
He urged the Government to restore permanent appointments for government doctors, including medical specialists, with more competitive and consistent salary packages.
He said contract appointments should only be used for foreign doctors recruited from overseas.
Masiung said Malaysia, particularly Sabah and Sarawak, was already close to achieving the target ratio of one doctor for every 400 people.
BIMB Securities Research analysts have forecast that Malaysia could face a shortage of more than 13,000 medical specialists by 2030.
On Wednesday, Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) Sabah branch chairman Dr Brandon Patrick Senagang voiced concern over the critical shortage of doctors throughout Sabah.
Masiung said local doctors and medical graduates were increasingly choosing to work overseas due to a lack of interest in the contract-based service system offered by MOH.
He said attractive salaries and stronger foreign currencies in several developed countries were also encouraging Malaysian doctors to seek employment abroad.
“I have previously shared the concerns of Malaysian doctors working in Singapore. They believe there is little future for doctors in the country after MOH introduced a low-value contract system without sufficient work flexibility,” he said.
Masiung said the rapid development of healthcare infrastructure, including the construction of new hospitals, was increasingly out of step with the country’s ability to produce sufficient medical specialists.
He said efforts to retain experienced nurses were also becoming increasingly challenging due to competition from overseas employers, as well as competition for manpower between public and private hospitals.
The Sabah Economic Development Corporation (Sedco) group Chairman hoped the serious shortage of doctors could be addressed in the national Budget to be tabled later this year.
Masiung said Malaysia’s problem was not a shortage of medical graduates, but a lack of specialists and the challenge of retaining experienced nurses who form the backbone of public hospitals.
The Kuamut assemblyman is expected to raise the issue of the shortage of medical specialists in the country, particularly in Sabah, during the Sabah Legislative Assembly sitting scheduled for early November.
