Retain top medical talent with better work conditions, clear career pathways

 

The issue of contract doctors and the lack of permanent positions are among the factors that has resulted in the brain drain, says MMA president Dr Muruga Raj Rajathurai.

PETALING JAYA: Work conditions and career progression for healthcare professionals must improve to ensure that Malaysia’s top medical talent remains in the country, health groups said.

Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Dr Muruga Raj Rajathurai and Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy CEO Azrul Khalib said unreasonably long work shifts, low remuneration, unclear career pathways, and working environments that are not conducive were among the main reasons why young healthcare professionals seek opportunities abroad.

They were commenting on remarks made by Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman, who said on Thursday that Universiti Malaya (UM) loses at least 30 of its “best and brightest” medical graduates to Singapore every year.

The former dean of UM’s medical faculty said there was an urgent need to plug the brain drain of medical officers and graduates in Malaysia in order to improve the public healthcare system.

Malaysian Medical Association president Dr Muruga Raj Rajathurai.

Muruga Raj said low pay and Malaysia’s rising cost of living drove young healthcare professionals to look for better opportunities abroad.

He said although the cost of living was high in Singapore, young medical workers could earn almost four times as much as they would earn in Malaysia.

He added that the contract system, permanent positions, bullying at the workplace, and a lack of work-life balance were among the other issues that needed to be resolved to retain the country’s top medical talent.

Meanwhile, Azrul lamented the lack of a clear career progression for young medical professionals based on merit and transparency.

He said there was a shortage of skilled personnel in almost every area of the healthcare sector, and if this was not resolved through employing local talent, foreign healthcare workers should be brought in to fill the vacancies.

Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy CEO Azrul Khalib.

“This is essential to protect our healthcare system from future shocks such as another global pandemic.

“It is also essential as part of the response to ongoing crises, such as the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCD), and to address gaps, including the lack of support for elderly care,” he told FMT.

However, Azrul noted that importing healthcare workers from other countries will not solve anything if existing problems persist.

“In the end, foreign healthcare workers will leave if the work conditions here are not up to standard.” - FMT