PETALING JAYA: Phasing out the contract system for medical officers, is among the measures taken to address the staffing crisis, says Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.
“Admittedly, I have been addressing this perennial problem of human resources in the Health Ministry,” the Health Minister said on X on Saturday (Feb 14).
The manpower constraint has been driven by supply shortage due to the decline in medical graduates entering the system as well as the maldistribution of workforce across the nation.
To effectively tackle the issue, Dzulkefly said the ministry was moving beyond stop-gap measures and towards comprehensive structural reforms.
This includes the phasing out of the contract system for medical officers, mandatory mobilisation to ensure fair workforce distribution, streamlining house officers training for faster integration and enhancing healthcare workers' welfare.
“I welcome healthy debate on this subject matter. Constructive feedback is crucial to enhance our public healthcare system and delivery, and to meet the unmet expectations of the rakyat,” he said.
Recently two MPs raised alarm over the dire staff shortage at the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital (HTAR) in Klang.
The Johor state health department said in January that contract medical officers have been mobilised to several hospitals in the state. A dire shortage was also reported at the state’s main hospital, the Sultanah Aminah Hospital in Johor Baru.
In an interview with The Star in October, Dzulkefly had said a proposal to end the contract system would be tabled to the Cabinet.
