KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry’s new autonomy over its workforce should be just the beginning of broader reforms, says the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA), which has renewed its call for an independent Health Service Commission.
Its president Datuk Dr Thirunavukarasu Rajoo said greater operational autonomy also came with greater responsibility, and the ministry should now put in place a comprehensive healthcare workforce dashboard backed by evidence-based planning.
“Greater transparency will strengthen public confidence, facilitate better workforce planning and enable more timely interventions to address healthcare workforce challenges,” he said in a statement on Tuesday (July 14).
Dr Thirunavukarasu said the announcement marked an important milestone, but MMA continued to see an independent Health Service Commission as the most sustainable structural solution in the long run.
He said such a commission would allow workforce planning, career development and human resource management to be coordinated under a dedicated framework responsive to the unique needs of the healthcare system.
He also cautioned that the success of any policy depended on its implementation.
While the revised ePlacement mechanism was a practical administrative improvement, he said clear operational guidelines and consistent implementation across all levels would be needed to ensure eligible medical officers received their relocation entitlements on time and in line with financial regulations.
Dr Thirunavukarasu said strengthening the healthcare workforce was not simply about creating more permanent positions.
“The challenge is ensuring the right healthcare professionals at the right place and at the right time, supported by clearer career pathways, equitable deployment, opportunities for postgraduate training and policies that encourage long-term retention within the public healthcare system,” he said.
At the same time, he welcomed the government’s decision to grant the ministry greater operational autonomy, calling it an important and timely step towards strengthening healthcare workforce planning.
He also welcomed the offer of permanent appointments to 4,500 contract medical officers, the setting up of the KKM-JPA Workforce Management Task Force, closer collaboration with the Higher Education Ministry on long-term workforce planning, and relocation benefits for eligible medical officers.
“MMA has consistently advocated for the Health Ministry to be given greater flexibility in managing its healthcare workforce based on service needs.
“Empowering MOH to manage and deploy its approved positions will enable manpower decisions to be made more efficiently and closer to where healthcare services are delivered,” he said.
Dr Thirunavukarasu also commended Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, Health Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Hasnol Zam Zam Ahmad and Health director-general Datuk Dr Mahathar Abd Wahab for driving the reforms, saying the collaboration between the ministry, the Public Service Department (JPA), the Finance Ministry and the Higher Education Ministry reflected a whole-of-government approach.
On Monday (July 13), Dzulkefly told the Dewan Rakyat’s Special Chamber that the ministry had been given the full mandate and autonomy to manage, organise and distribute its approved positions independently of the Public Service Department, effective July 9.
He said the move would speed up the placement of healthcare workers where they are most needed and gradually ease maldistribution and doctor shortages at certain facilities.
