{
  "id": 5951238,
  "title": "'Unsustainable burden': PPP calls for urgent solution to public hospital doctor shortage",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/06/unsustainable-burden-ppp-calls-for-urgent-solution-to-public-hospital",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-09-06T09:03:35.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2026/09/1526960/unsustainable-burden-ppp-calls-urgent-solution-public-hospital-doctor"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Malaysian government faces an urgent call from the People's Progressive Party (PPP) to tackle the chronic shortage of doctors, medical officers and specialists in public hospitals. The PPP's president, Datuk Dr Loga Bala Mohan, highlighted the disproportionate workload, extended waiting times, burnout and delayed specialist treatment as major concerns, particularly in states like Sabah and Sarawak. He stressed that the issue has persisted for several years, demanding a permanent and comprehensive solution. The PPP urged the government to abolish the contract system, create permanent positions, fill vacant posts, boost specialist training capacity and rectify the uneven distribution of healthcare personnel. The party also called for the release of updated manpower data on approved posts, filled positions and vacancies among doctors, medical officers, specialists, nurses and other essential healthcare workers. Reports indicated that doctors at understaffed facilities were treating up to 80-100 patients daily, with some patients waiting up to six hours. A cancer treatment center reportedly needed 45-50 medical officers but had only half that number, with some days seeing four medical officers attending to 90 patients in their day-care facility. The PPP emphasized that the situation is extremely alarming, especially with Malaysia grappling with a rising cancer burden, and called for a permanent, properly funded and sustainable answer to the healthcare manpower crisis.",
  "summary": "KUALA LUMPUR: The government must urgently address the chronic shortage of doctors, medical officers (MOs) and specialists in government hospitals, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) said.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "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."
}