THE government must urgently end “double standards” in the Health Ministry’s contract employment system or risk further weakening an already strained public healthcare workforce, MCA said.
MCA Deputy President Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon said pharmacists, dentists, nurses and other healthcare professionals must be given the same career certainty as medical officers if the government is serious about retaining talent in the public sector.
“The government must end all double standards in the Ministry of Health’s contract employment policy. If medical officers are given a pathway to permanent positions, then pharmacists, dentists, nurses and other healthcare professionals must be treated fairly as well,” he stated.
Dr Mah warned that Malaysia is already facing a serious brain drain in public healthcare, with doctors, dentists and nurses leaving for the private sector or overseas due to uncertainty, workload pressures and limited career progression, adding that extending similar instability to pharmacists would further deepen the crisis.
“Pharmacists are not peripheral staff. They are a core pillar of healthcare delivery. Without sufficient pharmacists, patient safety and service efficiency will suffer,” he emphasised.
He added that pharmacists play a critical role in dispensing medication, monitoring drug interactions, counselling patients, and ensuring treatment compliance.
“When experienced pharmacists leave public hospitals and clinics, waiting times may increase and the burden on doctors and nurses will grow. This is not just an employment issue, but a patient care issue,” he elaborated.
Dr Mah stressed that equal contribution in the healthcare system must be matched with equal opportunity in career progression, warning against selective reforms that exclude key professions.
He urged the government to implement several immediate measures, including a transparent pathway to permanent positions for pharmacists, absorption of experienced contract pharmacists into permanent posts, expansion of funded positions based on actual demand, and improved promotion structures across all healthcare professions.
He also called for stronger rural incentives, better workforce planning, and improved coordination in recruitment to address long-term manpower needs.
“Healthcare reform cannot be selective. A nation that fails to value its pharmacists will ultimately fail its patients,” he said. ‒ Focus Malaysia
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