Former federal minister Dato’ Abdul Rahman Dahlan has suggested that Singapore should compensate Malaysia for the cost of training local doctors who end up working across the border.
Health worker migration sparks debate
In a Facebook post, the former minister stated that the migration of Malaysian doctors and nurses to other countries, particularly Singapore, has raised concerns about a growing talent drain.
According to him, the issue is now turning into a national crisis, as highlighted by MPs and the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA).
Many healthcare professionals choose to leave due to local policy weaknesses and more aggressive hiring efforts by foreign countries. Singapore, in particular, has been actively recruiting Malaysian talent using its financial advantages,” he wrote.
Walk-in interviews in KL spark concern
He further added that Singaporean hospitals have recently held open walk-in interviews in Kuala Lumpur, a move seen as unusually bold.
“In the past, such hiring processes were done quietly or on an invitation basis. Now, the recruitment is more visible and aggressive.”
“Being the wealthiest ASEAN country, Singapore offers much better pay, benefits, and working conditions. This makes it an attractive choice for Malaysian healthcare workers, especially since the two countries share similar culture, language, and time zones,” he added.
Not just capitalism, but regional responsibility
While some argue that this is part of basic economic competition, the former minister believes such actions lack regional empathy, especially when Malaysia heavily subsidises healthcare training using public funds.
The former minister proposed two solutions:
- Government-to-government (G2G) compensation – where Singapore repays the full training subsidy for each healthcare worker recruited from Malaysia.
- Special levy system – employers in Singapore pay a monthly or yearly fee, verified by the Malaysian High Commission, based on the employee’s salary.
Levies should not burden the workers
Abdul Rahman also stressed that the proposed compensation or levy must not be deducted from the worker’s salary.
Instead, the financial responsibility should lie with the hiring institutions in Singapore.
He believes the proposal would benefit both sides.
“Singapore gets trained professionals, while Malaysia regains public funds that can be reinvested into improving rural healthcare.”
More talks are encouraged
The former minister encouraged further discussion and study of this idea, noting that while there may be legal and technical challenges, such steps are crucial for long-term sustainability.
