PETALING JAYA: Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Datuk Dr Kalwinder Singh Khaira has urged for pressing public healthcare issues to be resolved so that more students will take up medicine and remain serving in the country.
He cited as examples issues related to the contract system, getting timely permanent positions, uncertain career progression, unclear training pathways and so on.
Addressing the problem of Malaysia losing medical practitioners to other countries, he said: “Any loss of doctors would affect the strength of our entire healthcare workforce.”
He added that the challenge is in retaining doctors in the system and encouraging those planning to leave to stay back.
Noting that most doctors who leave move to Singapore, Australia, the UK and Ireland, he said remuneration, work-life balance and career advancement opportunities are key areas that should be improved locally.
The brain drain is particularly concerning for the public healthcare sector, which serves about 70% of the population.
A declining number of students pursuing medicine has compounded the issue, largely due to the uncertainties in the profession.
Although discussions have taken place on hiring foreign doctors to fill the gap, Kalwinder believes retaining locally trained professionals should be the priority.
“As it stands, there has been a drop of new doctors entering service and is now around 3,000 plus each year. Our challenge is retaining these doctors in the system and encouraging those planning to leave, to stay back and serve.”
Despite shortages across both public and private healthcare institutions, private hospitals have been better at retaining talent due to higher salaries and improved working conditions.
Government hospitals reportedly struggle with high workloads, burnout and an uneven distribution of workers.
Federation of Private Medical Practitioners Associations Malaysia president Dr Shanmuganathan Ganeson believes financial security and career growth are the main drivers of medical migration.
While doctors accept long working hours, they expect fair compensation and clear career progression.
“Many internationally recognised degree holders find it easier to migrate, whereas local graduates struggle with non-recognition of their qualifications (overseas),” he said.
Shanmuganathan recommended separate salary scales for government medical practitioners, reduced documentation, appointment of experienced technocrats to lead the Health Ministry and a merit-based leadership approach.
Recent discussions on staggered working hours aimed at improving work-life balance were dismissed due to a lack of proper stakeholder engagement.
While flexibility is important, he believes financial stability remains a greater concern for most doctors.
Without addressing salary and career progression, solutions such as staggered hours may have little impact on retention.
Nurses are also leaving Malaysia. Staff nurse Denisa Haizar, 30, who now works in Singapore, shared her experience.
“I wanted to gain international exposure, work with diverse patients and earn a better salary. Moving abroad was always on my mind, but building skills takes time.”
She chose Singapore for its proximity to Malaysia.
“My transition was not easy. Working in a first-world country comes with high expectations, but I adapted. New place, new rules, new people. It’s a whole new experience.
“My life got a premium boost. I can now afford things I once only dreamt of and surprisingly, the cost of living is manageable due to the strong Singapore currency.”
Shanmuganathan stressed that Malaysia’s healthcare system faces an uncertain future if urgent reforms are not implemented.
“A National Health Financing Scheme is needed to ensure transparency and accountability in funding allocation. Without addressing governance issues, inefficiencies, and workforce shortages, the country risks declining healthcare standards.
“Without urgent reforms, Malaysia risks a worsening healthcare crisis, making it even harder to retain its medical workforce.”
