PETALING JAYA: The plunge in intake and rising resignation rate of housemanship have raised concerns over training conditions, career pathways and system readiness, according to MCA deputy president Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon, who called for urgent reforms.
“To arrest this decline and restore confidence among young medical graduates, the Health Ministry must adopt a comprehensive and forward-looking approach.
“Introducing regulated working hours, ensuring adequate rest periods and strengthening mental health support systems are essential to create a safer and more sustainable training environment,” he said in a statement on Wednesday (March 18).
Dr Mah was responding to Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, who had earlier disclosed that only 529 medical graduates reported for 5,000 available housemanship positions.
Dr Mah added that clearer and more transparent career progression pathways were needed, noting that uncertainty over permanent placements, contract positions and limited specialist training opportunities had deterred many graduates.
This includes better financial and non-financial incentives, competitive pay, hardship allowances for high-pressure postings and targeted incentives for service in underserved areas, he said.
“The government should provide clearer timelines and guarantees for career advancement, including pathways into specialisation, scholarships for postgraduate studies and long-term employment within the public healthcare system.
“Recognition programmes and structured mentorship can help improve morale and professional satisfaction,” he said.
As a heavyweight ministry, Dr Mah said the Health Ministry should receive higher budget allocations to modernise hospitals, upgrade facilities, procure up-to-date medical equipment and improve remuneration for its personnel.
On training, he said quality must be strengthened without compromising wellbeing.
“While the Malaysian Medical Council has rightly raised concerns about maintaining clinical competency, reforms can focus on improving supervision, reducing administrative burdens and leveraging digital tools to enhance learning efficiency rather than simply shortening training duration,” he said.
Dr Mah also urged a whole-of-government approach, including closer coordination with the Higher Education Ministry to better align the output of medical graduates with national workforce needs.
“This includes reviewing past policies such as the moratorium on medical programmes and ensuring a balanced, sustainable pipeline of future doctors,” he said.
He stressed that rebuilding trust was critical, pointing to recent tragic deaths involving junior doctors in Penang as highlighting the urgency of addressing workplace culture, bullying, safety concerns and mental health support.
“Transparent investigations and meaningful reforms will be key to restoring confidence among medical graduates,” he said.
Dr Mah then warned that with private healthcare costs and insurance premiums rising, more patients were turning to government hospitals, making it untenable for the country to face a shrinking pool of young doctors.
On Tuesday, Dr Dzulkefly told the Dewan Negara that the intake of medical graduates for housemanship has halved since 2019, signalling a sharp contraction in the country’s pipeline of new doctors.
He said 206 house officers resigned during their training in 2024 and 2025, comprising 114 in 2024 and 92 in 2025, compared with 254 who left the programme in 2023.
Dr Dzulkefly said the resignations were due to multiple factors, including personal issues, lack of readiness for housemanship, pursuing further studies, migration overseas and health problems.
