Over 3,000 medical officers left public healthcare sector in last three years, Parliament told

 

KUALA LUMPUR: More than 3,000 Medical Officers have left the public healthcare sector between 2023 and 2025, says Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.

The Health Minister said efforts are being taken to retain existing talent and curb outflow through improved incentives, career progression opportunities and specialist training pathways.

In 2023 1,283 Medical Officers left the public sector, followed by 1,153 in 2024 and 1,075 in 2025, bringing the total to 3511.

“The Health Ministry does not have any legal provision to prevent Medical Officers from seeking employment in the private sector, including preventing recruitment efforts undertaken by the private sector or registered foreign talent recruitment agencies,” he said in a parliamentary written reply dated July 14.

Among the initiatives taken to address the issue is offering a competitive starting salary of RM5,380 for Grade UD9 officers, with an annual salary increment of RM225. This is the highest compared with other public service schemes.

Medical Officers are also eligible for specific allowances and incentives, including the Locum Allowance, amounting to RM80 per hour. The On-Call Duty Allowance for Medical Officers (ETAP) was increased by 40 % effective from Oct 1, 2025, while the Elective Surgery Allowance was set at RM80 per hour.

Dzulkefly said an average of 4,000 MO’s are appointed to permanent positions annually.

For doctors pursuing specialisation, the ministry has expanded specialist training opportunities, including increasing sponsored places under the Parallel Pathway specialist training programme to 600 places annually across 14 specialty fields from 2025, compared with 52 places in 2022.

The ministry has also introduced the Pre-Gazettement Specialist Incentive Payment (BIPPW), which provides Medical Officers undergoing Supervised Work Experience (SWE) with an incentive equivalent to the Specialist Incentive Payment (BIP), in recognition of their specialist workload and commitment during the training period.

For Medical Specialists, the MOH has provided additional support through Hadiah LatiHAN Perseketuan sponsorship for subspecialty and area of interest training, as well as improving the specialist training pathways namely the Master's programmes and parallel pathways following amendments to the Medical Act 1971.

Specialists also receive various incentives, including the Specialist Incentive Payment ranging from RM2,200 to RM3,100 per month, placement incentives for specialists serving in health facilities in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan ranging from RM500 to RM2,500 per month, and increased on-call allowances.

He said specialists also have opportunities to supplement their income through the Full Paying Patient (FPP) service at selected hospitals, receiving between 40 per cent and 100 per cent of medical fees paid by patients who choose the service.

Dzulkefly said retaining doctors within the public healthcare system was not solely the responsibility of the ministry, as it involved wider issues requiring coordinated efforts from multiple parties.

He said the ministry will continue engagement sessions with the relevant agencies to improve incentives and benefits for MO, with the aim of encouraging more healthcare professionals to continue serving in the public sector.

He was responding to a question by Mohd Nazri Abu Hassan (PN-Merbok on the latest developments in the implementation of the contract system for Medical Officers, as well as the number of doctors and specialists who have left the public sector over the past three years, together with the measures taken to retain talent within the public healthcare service. - Star