KUALA LUMPUR: The moratorium on new diploma-level nursing courses at private higher education institutions, which has been in effect since 2010, will end on Aug 1, says Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapha Sakmud.
He stated that the Cabinet made the decision to lift the moratorium on July 5 after a series of discussions between the Higher Education Ministry and the Health Ministry regarding the shortage of registered nurses in the country.
Mustapha explained that lifting the moratorium aims to address the nurse shortage, influenced by several factors, including the reduction in the number of private higher education institutions offering diploma-level nursing courses.
"The country will face a shortage of registered nurses for healthcare needs and population demands by 2030 if the decline in the intake of new nursing diploma students at private higher education institutions and the number of registered nurses continues," he said during the question and answer session at Dewan Negara on Tuesday (July 23).
He was responding to a question from Senator Robert Lau Hui Yew regarding the Higher Education Ministry’s strategy to address the nurse shortage and whether more private higher education institutions would be allowed to offer nursing courses.
According to Mustapha, the Higher Education Ministry will issue a circular to all private institutions soon, providing details on the lifting of the moratorium.
He mentioned that the moratorium was originally implemented due to the excessive number of nursing courses available at private higher education institutions.
"If we do not take action now, we will face a 62% deficit in nurses by 2030. That’s why the government has introduced this measure, and we will ensure that the number of nurses meets the needs of both the industry and the population," he said. - Bernama
