KUALA LUMPUR – Two years ago, *Manisha was knocked off her motorcycle by a delivery rider and dragged 20 metres across the road.
“Half of my face was bleeding,” she recalled. At the hospital, she waited until late at night before seeing a doctor. A week later, she learned she had a facial fracture — an injury that she feels should have been treated as an emergency but was delayed due to overcrowding.
Her story reflects a deepening crisis in Malaysia’s public healthcare system: a growing shortage of doctors, caused by reduced medical student intake and an exodus of professionals.
In 2019, the Health Ministry employed over 6,100 housemen; by 2023, that number had fallen to 3,271 — almost half. A Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) survey found that only 5% of public healthcare facilities have adequate staffing.
While Malaysia’s doctor-to-population ratio (2.5 per 1,000) is high for the region, distribution is uneven. Urban centres are relatively well-staffed, but rural states such as Sabah, Sarawak, and Kelantan face acute shortages, especially in specialist care. For example, only 14 cardiothoracic surgeons serve the entire public system, and oncology has just 180 specialists for 50,000 new cancer cases annually.
Why the Shortage Happened
A moratorium on new medical programmes from 2011 to 2021 cut graduate numbers by almost a third. Around the same time, permanent posts gave way to short-term contracts, stalling career progression and deterring specialisation.
Doctors also work punishing hours — up to 84 per week, sometimes on 33-hour shifts — for relatively low pay. For a mid-level government doctor, salaries start at RM3,611 per month, making repayment of medical school debt (up to RM500,000) a long-term burden.
The Brain Drain Problem
Resignations are rising: more than 6,400 medical officers left between 2019 and 2023, along with over 1,000 specialists. Many move abroad, where pay is up to four times higher and work-life balance is better.
Since December, civil servants have received a 15% pay rise, and the government is trying to lure back talent via the Returning Expert Programme. But only 8% of returnees are in healthcare.
Possible Solutions
The government is converting 13,000 contract positions into permanent posts by 2025, introducing new specialist training routes, and considering higher fees for wealthier patients. Allowing public hospital doctors to practise privately, as done at University Malaya Medical Centre, is also being explored.
Yet questions remain over funding and whether these efforts will be enough, especially with an ageing population and rising rates of diabetes, hypertension, and obesity increasing demand for medical care.
“Improving salaries, welfare, and work-life balance isn’t too much to ask,” said Muhammad, a government doctor. “We’re taking care of lives — that’s a lot of responsibility.”
Source: CNA
