KUALA LUMPUR: Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad says it is important to boost the number of family medicine practitioners in the country as this will contribute to improving public health.
“There are nearly 500 practitioners serving in public and private facilities nationwide, but this is still far from our actual requirements.
“We need at least 1,500 more family medical specialists (FMS) in the next few years to fill the gap,” he said after officiating the Asean Regional Primary Care Physician Conference today.
He said Malaysia is producing about 200 FMS a year, and that it is important for those in family medicine to work hard and encourage young doctors to take up the practice as a career.
He said his ministry would provide all the necessary support, and welcomed any collaborative efforts to this effect.
On the task force to study proposals on making vaccination compulsory, he said his ministry is still discussing the matter.
“I know that many people want the issue to be hurried, but we can’t rush into a decision just yet.
“We have many parameters that we have to look into, and views from stakeholders to be taken into account.”
Dzulkefly added that he could not reveal any details on when they would be able to announce the results.
“There is no time frame yet, but we hope it can be done by the end of the year.” - FMT
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