Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia president Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh says we are not asking for an indefinite window to recruit foreign nurses but we need the time for students in nursing schools to be trained and in time, take over. He adds that with more nurses, we can expand existing hospitals and build new ones. Surely that is good for the economy.
MALAYSIA’S nurse shortage is dire. A few years down the road, private hospitals will need to turn away patients even if they can pay or have health insurance. Government hospitals may not be the best solution, since they too are experiencing nurse shortages.
Private hospitals in Malaysia will need 9,000 nurses over the next five years to meet current and future needs when new hospitals are built or existing hospitals expand.
