‘Help look after us so we can look after others,’ nurses plead

PETALING JAYA: It is high time to resolve the long-standing shortage of nurses in both public and private healthcare, say various groups.

Malayan Nurses Union president Nor Hayati Abd Rashid said salary revisions should be considered to encourage more people to take up the profession.

She said young nurses in the Klang Valley had resigned from their positions and instead chose to further their professions abroad due to better wages there.

“It’s high time to consider salary revisions and this has to be done in a synchronised manner.

“Of course, we cannot compare with countries like Singapore when it comes to wages, but a good start would be with increasing allowances for nurses with post-basic qualifications.

“These nurses are experts in their fields, and they should be paid accordingly,” she added.

Nurses with post-basic qualifications specialise in fields such as paediatrics and oncology.

Nor Hayati also called for a better commitment to proper working arrangements to make the field more attractive.

“Their basic rights must be upheld, such as giving them better opportunities to further their studies while also getting adequate rest.

“If these issues are not tackled well, nurses will feel it.

“Politicians, too, should focus on the welfare of nurses instead of their (nurses’) outfits,” she said, in reference to a PAS MP who, in Parliament, described nurses’ uniforms as being too revealing.

Saying that the nurse shortage has been a long-standing issue, Nor Hayati added that it was important for the authorities to take another look at the system to make the profession more appealing.

“We want the best for our patients. Being a nurse takes years of training and a big heart, and it is not as easy as others think.

“Help look after us so we can look after others,” she said.

Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM) president Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh called for the government to consider allowing foreign nurses into Malaysia as a stopgap measure to ensure a sufficient number of nurses at private hospitals.

“No decision has been made by the Health Ministry yet despite APHM’s nursing chapter already having met and discussed this with the Ministry’s nursing division.

“There were concerns raised about incoming foreign nurses giving fewer opportunities to local ones, but from our understanding, the reality is that we do not have enough local nurses,” he said, adding that APHM was trying to work out the best solution together with the Ministry.

Dr Kuljit said there were also many foreign nurses from countries such as India and Philippines interested in working in Malaysia.

As for the issue of salary and better wages abroad, he said this was a difficult matter to address.

“Some nurses opt to further their professions abroad for better salaries, but we can’t offer the same wages due to our economic capability,” Dr Kuljit said, adding that fewer nurses also meant fewer hospital beds being opened up.

He also called for a moratorium on a clause in the employment criteria of foreign-trained nurses in Malaysia, established in 2018, stating that only foreign nurses with post-basic qualifications were allowed to be employed.

“We hope that even regular nurses can be temporarily brought in to fill the shortage,” he said.

Dr Kuljit also cited an APHM survey conducted among 103 private hospitals in November 2022, which found that at least 3,562 more nurses would be needed in 2023.

“This was presented to the Health Ministry during our meeting earlier this year.

“Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa has been very understanding and has taken an interest in solving the issue. We hope for a favourable outcome,” he added.