KUALA LUMPUR: Recruitment exercises to entice local healthcare workers to Singapore are conducted by private employment agencies, the Dewan Rakyat heard on Wednesday (Oct 29).
The Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said he had a phone call with the Singapore Health Minister Ong Ye Kung to clear the air on the matter.
“I have spoken with the Singapore Health Minister, and he has confirmed that this is the work of the private health industry and not the Singapore government,” the minister said during his winding-up speech for the ministry on the Supply Bill 2026 on Wednesday.
He was replying to Sim Tze Tzin (PH-Bayan Baru), who produced a printout of an advertisement looking for Malaysian healthcare workers to work in Singapore.
Following the matter, Dzulkefly said the ministry is currently examining the implementation of bilateral agreements with key destination countries for Malaysian healthcare personnel, such as Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and Australia.
These agreements, he said, were aimed at better regulating the migration of healthcare workers, in line with the ethical code of the World Health Organisation (WHO), namely the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel.
“This code provides guidance to member states in managing the international recruitment of healthcare workers.
“It is to ensure that such practices are carried out ethically, minimise the impact on source countries, which are usually developing nations, and to safeguard the welfare of the migrating healthcare personnel concerned,” he added.
