IPOH: There will be no more contractual appointment of nurses starting this year, says Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.
The minister said the move was aimed at addressing the deficit of 14,000 nurses in the public healthcare sector.
"In the past, we had interim contract appointments for nursing graduates, but it will no longer continue starting from the 2025 intake of diploma and certificate graduates.
"This is an important commitment where all new recruitments will be on a permanent basis," he told reporters after the Sultan Azlan Shah Health Ministry Training Institute Graduation Ceremony here on Monday (Sept 22).
Dr Dzulkefly said as of Aug 31, there are 69,158 appointed nurses.
He said these included 651 nurses, comprising 257 from the peninsula and 394 from Sabah and Sarawak, from this year's batch of graduates.
"Nursing staff who were previously hired under interim contracts will also be absorbed into permanent positions," he said.
Dr Dzulkefly said the Malaysian Health Ministry Training Institutes nationwide are expected to produce about 18,000 additional nurses by 2030 to address the shortage issue.
To speed up recruitment, he said the number of trainee nurses being recruited has been increased from 1,000 to 3,000 annually, with an allocation of RM25mil a year.
"Currently, Malaysia’s nurse-to-population ratio stands at 3.8 per 1,000 people, compared to the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s recommendation of six per 1,000 people.
"If this target is achieved, Malaysia will not only reduce the healthcare workforce gap but also move closer to the international standards set by WHO,” he said.
