{
  "id": 13852228,
  "title": "Don’t leave contract dentists behind after Budget 2027 doctor absorption, urges MDA",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/dont-leave-contract-dentists-behind-after-budget-2027-doctor",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-10-12T02:28:57.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Malay Mail",
    "slug": "malay-mail-malaymail",
    "url": "https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2026/10/12/dont-leave-contract-dentists-behind-after-budget-2027-doctor-absorption-urges-mda/238758"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "KUALA LUMPUR — The Malaysian Dental Association (MDA) has called on the federal government and the Ministry of Health (MOH) to provide contract dental officers with the same absorption opportunities as their counterparts in the medical and pharmacy fields. President Dr Chong Zhen Feng warned that trained dentists are being forced out of the public sector due to expired contracts without extension. The MDA welcomed the government's commitment to strengthening the public healthcare workforce, as announced in Budget 2027, which includes permanent appointments for over 9,000 contract doctors. However, they urged the government to accord similar consideration to contract dental officers, whose contributions to the public healthcare system are equally important. The association highlighted that the expiration of contracts has led to a brain drain of skilled dental practitioners, threatening the sustainability and accessibility of public oral healthcare, particularly for vulnerable groups like schoolchildren, rural communities, and lower-income families. While recognizing the differences in operational demands and staffing mechanisms across healthcare professions, the MDA emphasized the need for equity, transparent pathways, and formal recognition for all healthcare professionals. They appealed to Putrajaya to reassess the status of affected contract dental officers, create clear avenues for permanent absorption, and develop a sustainable human-resource strategy to retain dental talent within the public healthcare infrastructure.",
  "summary": "KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 12 — The Malaysian Dental Association (MDA) has urged the federal government and the Ministry of...",
  "key_points": [
    "MDA urges government to give contract dental officers same absorption chances as doctors.",
    "Over 9,000 contract doctors to get permanent appointments in Budget 2027.",
    "Expired contracts causing dental workforce brain drain in public healthcare."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Excluding dental officers from permanent absorption programs risks a brain drain that threatens the long-term accessibility of oral healthcare for rural communities and vulnerable populations within the public system.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Malay Mail",
        "title": "Don’t leave contract dentists behind after Budget 2027 doctor absorption, urges MDA",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/dont-leave-contract-dentists-behind-after-budget-2027-doctor-13856875",
        "published": "2026-10-12T02:28:57.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}