PETALING JAYA: Malaysia is seeing a shortage of radiographers with states like Johor, Kedah and Sabah registering a ratio of one radiographer to every 10,000 people.
“The day-to-day reality in Malaysian hospitals, particularly in the public sector, is characterised by workforce shortages and increasing demand,” said Malaysian Society of Radiographers’ president Sawal Marsait.
Citing the Health Indicator 2024 report issued by the Health Ministry, he pointed out that the overall ratio in Malaysia was 1:9,449.
For comparison, he said South Korea and Japan registered much better ratios.
Sawal said the radiographers were mostly concentrated in places like Kuala Lumpur (260), Johor (403) and Selangor (483).
Yet, Selangor’s ratio of radiographers to population stood at 1:14,927.
Sawal highlighted the problem in public facilities where patients might have to wait for weeks or even months for non-emergency diagnostic scans because of the limited number of shifts that radiographers could take on.
He spoke of their heavy workload, citing the scenario in emergency departments where “reliance on imaging is massive”.
“For instance, nearly 90% of trauma patients require sonography or X-rays immediately upon arrival, placing immense pressure on the on-call radiography team.”
Furthermore, he said many hospitals were upgrading to advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) technology, but there was a lack of subspecialised radiographers to operate them at full capacity.
He said that plans to expand the pool of radiographers was hindered by systemic and professional hurdles.
“Many radiographers are seeking opportunities in Singapore, the Middle East or Australia, where remuneration packages and career progression are better.”
To address the issue, Sawal suggested artificial intelligence (AI) integration that could allow radiographers to focus on complex procedures and patient care, introducing organisational changes and incentivising rural postings.
Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Datuk Dr Thirunavukarasu Rajoo proposed that a dedicated tiered certification pathway be established for personnel trained specifically for low-risk plain X-ray services.
“A competent, properly-certified person to perform and support plain X-ray work safely is needed.”
He said a tiered pathway bound to low-risk diagnostic imaging would expand the pool of available personnel for GP (general practitioner) clinics without diminishing the full radiographer profession.
“The goal is simple, with Malaysians being able to walk into a GP clinic, get an X-ray and see a doctor – all in one visit, at an affordable cost,” he said.
He suggested a workforce plan to include GP clinics with X-ray facilities.
“MMA proposes that the government build on this by mapping all GP clinics with X-ray services and establishing a framework to channel simple imaging services – including routine health screening – to them,” said Dr Thirunavukarasu.
“This will decongest public hospitals and health clinics while making full use of private capacity that is already serving Malaysians every day,” he said.
A 2023 report on “The Growing Problem of Radiologist Shortage: Malaysia’s Perspective”, published in the Korean Radiology Journal, pointed out that many rural clinics and smaller hospitals did not have the facilities to support imaging techniques such as CT scans.
