PETALING JAYA: When 5,000 housemanship slots were offered in January 2026, only 529 medical graduates took it up. And between 2024 and 2025, 206 house officers have resigned.
Malaysia is losing healthcare workers at an alarming rate, which is bad news for patients who need quality treatment.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad (pic) has admitted that failure to address the declining intake could place an increasing strain on Malaysia’s healthcare system.
“If we do not act, the shortage of doctors will become more acute and affect our ability to deliver care.”
The issue was raised in the Dewan Negara by Senator Mohd Hasbie Muda on March 12, when he asked about resignations among house officers between 2023 and 2025 and their underlying causes.
Dzulkefly said the intake of medical graduates into housemanship – a mandatory two-year training period before practising as a doctor – has dropped by about half since 2019, when 6,139 trainees were recorded.
“Over the years, the numbers have steadily declined, falling to 3,245 in 2022. It was 3,265 in 2023, 3,288 in 2024 and 3,294 in 2025,” he said.
Housemanship requires trainees to undergo rotations in core disciplines including medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics and orthopaedics across 48 accredited training hospitals nationwide, 45 of which are under the Health Ministry. The other three are teaching hospitals.
“There are many reasons for the resignations, including personal and family issues, further studies, migration overseas and health concerns,” Dzulkefly said.
Concerns over the demanding nature of housemanship and workplace culture were also raised by senators, including Tiew Way Keng and Datuk Abdul Halim Suleiman, who spoke of long hours, fatigue and alleged bullying.
Dzulkefly acknowledged the toxic work culture and harassment, saying that the ministry would not tolerate such behaviour.
“I will not compromise. Every complaint must be investigated, without protecting anyone. Disciplinary action, including the dismissal of a senior head of department, has been taken.”
He also emphasised that house officers are trainees, not an extra workforce.
“They are in hospitals to be trained, not to be pushed around,” he said.
At the same time, proposals to shorten the housemanship from two years to one are being carefully studied, Dzulkefly said.
However, there are concerns about maintaining training quality.
“The concern from the Malaysian Medical Council is quality. We are facing rising medicolegal claims, with ex-gratia payments now reaching tens of millions. This is linked to clinical skills, competency and standards.”
Dzulkefly said Malaysia also faced strong external pull factors, with foreign recruiters offering lucrative salaries and permanent positions to fresh graduates even before they complete their studies.
“To address the issue, we are looking at structural reforms, including improving career pathways, enhancing allowances and reviewing the contract doctor system.”
He also acknowledged calls for a moratorium on the private healthcare sector to stem talent outflow, but said the issue is complex.
“This involves broader policy considerations, particularly at the specialist level, and must be carefully evaluated.
“There is no quick fix. It requires a whole-of-government approach involving education, finance and health sectors,” he said.
