Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy CEO Azrul Khalib said he previously proposed to the health ministry that this bonus be introduced in public hospitals, describing it as a pragmatic way to attract Malaysians to consider a career in nursing.
“I don’t think the government should pay those bonuses for private hospitals, though. Private hospitals can fund this on their own,” he told FMT.
Former deputy health minister Dr Lee Boon Chye agreed, saying the government should never subsidise the bonuses or salaries paid by private hospitals.
Lee said that if private hospitals are struggling to retain nurses, it means that demand has exceeded supply.
He said the market would naturally address this by training more nurses or offering higher salaries.
“Of course the Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM) will argue that increasing the salary of nurses will increase the cost of running private hospitals, when in actual fact it is only a small fraction of their costs,” he said.
On Wednesday, APHM president Dr Kuljit Singh proposed that Putrajaya offer a RM15,000 sign-on bonus for nurses in both public and private hospitals under the 2025 budget.
Kuljit said such an initiative would help retain Malaysian nursing graduates to serve in local hospitals, and that any bonuses granted must be reimbursed should a nurse decide to work outside of Malaysia.
He also suggested that private hospitals be eligible for double tax deductions for any “cost associated with this sign-on incentive”.
Azrul said Malaysia’s shortage of nurses, projected to reach 60% by 2030, was simply about supply and demand, with Malaysian nursing graduates possessing options to choose for their career.
“A sign-on bonus is what other countries are offering to our nurses to entice them to go and work in their healthcare systems. We should do the same. Find the money and get it done,” he said.
According to Lee, there is a high demand for Malaysian nurses in Singapore and the Middle East, particularly those who are experienced. He said it is a testament to the high quality of care they deliver.
He also said most Malaysian nurses are fluent in English and at least one more language, contributing to the high demand for them. - FMT
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