PETALING JAYA: The brain drain from Malaysia’s public healthcare sector is not limited to doctors, as nurses are also taking up offers from countries like Singapore and Saudi Arabia.
M. Devishree said she chose to move to Singapore instead of working in Malaysia due to the stronger currency and proximity to home.
“I would be making RM4,000 here, but being paid S$3,000 (RM9,951) makes a difference,” she said.
The 36-year-old from Kedah said she was able to fund her sibling’s higher education with her Singapore salary.
“I don’t think that would have been possible if I had remained in government service in Malaysia,” said Devishree, who moved after her third year of service.
“I did consider Australia. There are a lot of opportunities there as well. But I choose to settle for Singapore as I am able to travel home a lot faster since my family still lives here.”
Another nurse, who only wanted to be known as Yap, also chose Singapore due to opportunities for career progression.
“There is demand for nurses in a lot of countries, especially here (Singapore) and in Saudi Arabia.
“Malaysians are flocking to these countries to be expatriate nurses because of the salary and also the fact that if you are good, you can make more as time goes by,” she said.
V. Sita, who works in Jeddah, said she was able to purchase a house in her hometown in Penang within the first three years of serving in Saudi Arabia.
“The tax-free policy helps. In my case, I can get 8,000 Saudi riyals (RM9,000), while it would have taken way longer back home,” she said.
“I will not say the workload is not heavy; it’s just like anywhere else. But if the salary is satisfying, I think people are willing to work.
“Expatriate nurses are also entitled to the paid vacation scheme, where you are entitled to a certain number of paid annual leave days,” she said.
Sita added that it is also easy to adapt to life in Saudi Arabia as it is a growing destination for expatriates.
In a written Dewan Rakyat reply in July last year, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said 2,445 nurses applied to work abroad in 2023.
Citing data from the Malaysian Nursing Board, he said 1,553 or 64% were private sector nurses, while 892 (36%) were from the public sector.
