Malaysia grapples with doctor shortage as housemen numbers fall

Contract system where govt doctors earn less and are not part of civil service a factor

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Just a few years ago, there was a glut in the number of medical graduates in Malaysia. But today, the public healthcare system is grappling with a shortage of doctors, especially housemen.

Since 2019, the number of housemen at the Ministry of Health (MOH) has plunged by 50 per cent.

According to data from the ministry's human resources division, seen by The Star, there were 6,134 housemen in 2019, and 3,271 in 2023.

Healthcare stakeholders warn that if the manpower problem is not resolved, the public healthcare system will suffer and Malaysians will bear the brunt.

Rights group Hartal Doktor Kontrak spokesman Muhammad Yassin said the organisation had predicted the shortage in 2021. "Actually, this is a global trend where the newer generations are more inclined towards non-science streams... Hence, we have fewer undergraduates at medical school and fewer new medical graduates.

"In Malaysia, this is further exacerbated by the contract system issues which have been plaguing the country since 2016," he said.