PETALING JAYA: Some of the key reasons why contract medical officers turned down permanent appointments in public healthcare facilities include a reluctance to serve outside the peninsula and concerns over career progression in specialist fields.
According to Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad (pic), these were the reasons cited by a total of 414 contract medical officers who rejected permanent appointments and resigned between 2023 and June this year.
This figure represents 3.5% of the 11,901 officers offered permanent posts during the same period.
Dzulkefly said the main reason given was that they were not ready to relocate and serve in Sabah, Sarawak or Labuan.
“These officers prefer working in urban healthcare facilities. They are of the view that serving in rural and remote areas offers limited opportunities for career advancement in specialist fields.
“There are also personal factors. Some wish to care for family members, be closer to their partners or are facing health, logistical or financial issues,” he said in a written parliamentary reply dated July 31.
Dzulkefly was responding to a question from Mohammed Taufiq Johari (PH-Sungai Petani), who asked about the number of healthcare officers leaving the Health Ministry due to the lack of permanent placement.
He said the government is committed to retaining medical officers through several initiatives, including an 8% salary increase implemented on Dec 1 last year and a further 7% increase set to begin on Jan 1 next year.
The Health Minister also reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to hiring 4,352 medical officers this year, in line with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s announcement on July 23.
Dzulkefly added that the ministry is also committed to lateral appointments at Grade UD10, which comes with higher pay compared to Grade UD9, and is offering a full-salary working holiday scheme for permanent medical officers, along with a specialist training programme under the Health Ministry scholarship for contract officers.
He also said that from July 1, the ministry began introducing pre-gazette incentive payments for officers undergoing supervised work experience.
In addition, the ministry is exploring partnerships with state governments to offer incentives aimed at retaining healthcare workers in the public sector.
