A total of 6,417 permanent and contract medical officers have resigned from the Ministry of Health (MOH) between 2019 and 2023, according to Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Dzulkefly Ahmad.
According to News Strait Times, in a written response to Senator Dr. RA Lingeshwaran, Dr. Dzulkefly disclosed that 1,046 specialist doctors also left the public healthcare sector during the same period. Additionally, 63 specialist doctors opted for early retirement.
Reasons Behind Resignations
The minister highlighted several reasons for the resignations, including offers to become lecturers at public universities, personal issues, competency concerns, and health problems.
“There are also resignations required in line with service regulations, particularly for contract medical officers whose existing contracts are shortened to facilitate permanent appointments or to process contractual gratuities,” he explained.
Of the 6,417 resignations, 2,385 involved permanent medical officers, while the remaining 4,032 were contract appointments. Furthermore, the statistics do not include 1,086 contract medical officers who resigned to shorten their existing contracts and accept permanent positions.
Current Workforce in MOH
As of June 30, the MOH employs 298,853 healthcare personnel, comprising 266,133 permanent staff and 32,720 contract workers. This includes 7,638 specialist doctors and 44,155 medical officers.
Dr. Dzulkefly’s statement sheds light on the challenges faced by Malaysia’s healthcare sector, including retaining talent amidst various personal and professional factors.
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