Greater autonomy can help ease shortage of specialists, say doctors

The Malaysian health ministry has been granted greater autonomy over workforce planning as the country faces a shortage of medical specialists. Doctors argue that this increased control could help alleviate issues like the shortage of medical specialists in public hospitals. However, they stress that further reforms are required to train and retrain enough specialists to meet long-term needs.

Consultant paediatrician Dr Amar-Singh HSS highlights the severity of the shortage, citing data showing the ministry currently has 9,040 specialists across 29 core specialties but will need 22,435 by 2030. He notes that general physicians, paediatricians, and surgeons are particularly affected. Dr Muhammad Yassin from the Hartal Doktor Kontrak group agrees that the ministry is better placed to understand manpower needs with this autonomy, but stresses the importance of adequate funding and structural reforms.

He points out that poor remuneration and a lack of incentives continue to drive doctors away from public service. The health ministry received full autonomy on July 9 to independently manage and distribute its workforce based on healthcare system needs, aiming to speed up the placement of healthcare workers and address imbalances.

While some suggest this step could help, many believe more substantial changes are necessary to address the issue sustainably.