Over 2,000 nurses have left the public healthcare sector between 2020 and 2024, the Dewan Rakyat was informed.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Dzulkefly Ahmad revealed that out of the 2,141 nurses who departed, 1,754 were permanent staff members, while the rest were either on contracts or interim appointments.
To address the vacancies, Dr. Dzulkefly assured that the Ministry of Health is committed to continuing recruitment efforts through the Public Service Commission (SPA). In 2025, the ministry plans to recruit 3,228 nurses, specifically graduates with a Diploma in Nursing from local institutions, to fill permanent roles within the ministry.
In response to a question from Dr. Halimah Ali (PN-Kapar), who had asked for details on the total number of healthcare workers who had left the public service, Dr. Dzulkefly also disclosed that 5,702 medical officers had resigned during the same period, encompassing both permanent and contract staff.
Notably, 2023 saw a surge in medical specialists leaving the public service, with 400 specialists resigning—the highest number recorded in recent years.
To mitigate these shortages, Dr. Dzulkefly highlighted that the ministry had made amendments to the Medical Act 1971 (Act 50) to enhance both the quality and quantity of medical specialists being trained. These efforts include expanding master’s programmes and introducing parallel pathway options.
By December 31, 2024, a total of 5,807 medical officers were undergoing specialist training with the Health Ministry, comprising 5,115 officers in medical master’s programmes and 692 in parallel pathway programmes.
From 2019 to 2024, the Health Ministry also permanently appointed 13,879 contract medical officers. For 2025, the ministry plans to permanently appoint an additional 3,200 contract medical officers and to recruit 3,000 housemen to be placed in 49 Graduate Training Hospitals (HLS) across the country.
In 2023, patient visits to public health facilities increased by 18%, reaching over 68 million compared to 57 million in 2020.
In an effort to address the nursing shortage, the ministry will lower the academic entry requirement for the Diploma in Nursing programme from five credits to three, effective January 2025 to December 2026. Dr. Dzulkefly emphasized that this change would encourage more SPM graduates to enter the nursing field without compromising training quality.
The revised requirements exclude core subjects like Bahasa Melayu, Mathematics, and Science, ensuring that analytical skills, critical thinking, and theoretical understanding remain intact. Furthermore, the international accreditation status of the nursing diploma programme will not be affected, as it still meets the established academic and training standards.
However, the decision to ease entry requirements has faced criticism, with some concerned that it might negatively impact the public’s perception of the nursing profession.
Related topics
