Malaysia's Health Minister admits the government cannot stop doctors from jumping ship to foreign hospitals despite desperate efforts to keep them home. Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad confesses the ministry lacks legal power to block healthcare workers from accepting juicy job offers overseas. The minister reveals various retention schemes are being rolled out to convince medical professionals to stay put. Singapore hospitals are allegedly waving fat salary packages at Malaysian doctors through direct recruitment drives. A recruitment session targeting doctors and general practitioners will reportedly take place at a local hotel next month.
The Health Ministry is racing to convert contract doctors into permanent staff members as the medical brain drain accelerates. Dzulkefly insists the conversion process will happen quickly whenever vacant positions become available. He explains the contract system was originally created to handle the flood of medical graduates when permanent posts were scarce. The minister claims the graduate numbers have plummeted dramatically, creating plenty of room for new permanent appointments. Regional agreements allow healthcare workers to move freely between Asean nations, making it impossible to restrict cross-border recruitment.
The ministry wants specialists and nurses with advanced training to remain within Malaysia's public health system. Dzulkefly made these comments while attending an anti-dengue campaign event. Social media buzz about Singapore's aggressive recruitment tactics forced the minister to address the growing concerns. The country faces a critical shortage of medical professionals as more healthcare workers seek better opportunities abroad.
The Health Ministry is racing to convert contract doctors into permanent staff members as the medical brain drain accelerates. Dzulkefly insists the conversion process will happen quickly whenever vacant positions become available. He explains the contract system was originally created to handle the flood of medical graduates when permanent posts were scarce. The minister claims the graduate numbers have plummeted dramatically, creating plenty of room for new permanent appointments. Regional agreements allow healthcare workers to move freely between Asean nations, making it impossible to restrict cross-border recruitment.
The ministry wants specialists and nurses with advanced training to remain within Malaysia's public health system. Dzulkefly made these comments while attending an anti-dengue campaign event. Social media buzz about Singapore's aggressive recruitment tactics forced the minister to address the growing concerns. The country faces a critical shortage of medical professionals as more healthcare workers seek better opportunities abroad.
