PETALING JAYA: A total of 705 doctors and 1,394 nurses with over five years of service have resigned from the Health Ministry (MOH) between 2022 and 2024, according to ministry records.
In a written reply to the parliament yesterday, MOH said the main reasons for resignation include career opportunities in the private sector or statutory bodies, personal reasons, and health issues.
“Despite the resignations, MOH remains committed to strengthening the public healthcare system by enhancing staff readiness, skills, and mobility.
“The ministry has filled permanent positions with 12,761 new doctors and 5,396 new nurses from 2022 to 2024.”
The ministry also said it has no authority to prevent doctors or nurses from seeking employment abroad or in the private sector.
To address the high attrition rate, the Health Ministry is actively implementing several strategies to retain medical talent including exemptions for interim contract appointments of nurses in 2023 and 2024, with the option of permanent appointments starting in 2025.
“The ministry has also reduced weekly working hours from 45 to 42 for emergency doctors and ward nurses.
“Healthcare workers are being offered various incentives, including the Locum Allowance, Specialist Incentive Payment, Post-Basic Allowance, and Hardship Incentive Payments. Doctors undergoing supervised work experience (SWE) are eligible for Pre-Gazette Incentive Payments in recognition of their workload and specialist commitment.”
Additionally, time-based promotions are being offered, with doctors progressing from Grade UD9 to UD14 within 9 to 12 years, and paramedics receiving career advancement through the Time-Based Excellence (TBK 1 and TBK 2) scheme after 13 years of service.
The ministry reaffirmed its commitment to continuously improve benefits for healthcare professionals and strengthen human resource management across existing, upgraded, and upcoming facilities.
