JOHOR BARU: The critical shortage of healthcare workers in major hospitals here must be addressed to reduce the strain on the public healthcare system, says Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi.
He said a recent spot check at Hospital Sultan Ismail (HSI) here with state health and environment committee chairman Ling Tian Soon revealed alarming gaps in manpower, placing immense strain on the system.
“The lack of staff across key categories like specialist doctors, medical officers, assistant medical officers, nurses and support personnel is a concerning reality.
“This is impacting not only the morale of our frontliners but also the quality of care for patients,” he said in a Facebook post on Monday (July 14).
He highlighted examples where nurses were required to care for 10 to 14 patients in a single shift, far beyond the ideal nurse-to-patient ratio of 1:6 or 1:8 at most.
“This is not only unfair to our medical staff but also dangerous for patients if the situation is left unaddressed,” he added.
Onn Hafiz stressed that the state government is taking the matter seriously and will continue to provide urgent support in terms of facilities and medical resources, while also escalating the issue to the Health Ministry and other relevant agencies.
“I will personally appeal for the immediate filling of vacant healthcare positions in Johor without compromise,” he said.
He also expressed gratitude to all healthcare personnel for their hard work and dedication, assuring them that the state government is committed to building a more efficient and sustainable healthcare system.
