Insufficient steps taken to solve nursing shortage, says senator

 Senator RA Lingeshwaran says the 479 nursing graduates processed for permanent appointments in September account for only about 3% of the total vacancies.

Senator RA Lingeshwaran said 15,587 nursing vacancies and 2,901 positions of assistant medical officer were unfilled as of March.

PETALING JAYA:

The health ministry’s current recruitment rate is inadequate to solve a critical staff shortage with more than 18,000 vacancies still open, according to a senator.

RA Lingeshwaran.

RA Lingeshwaran said there were 15,587 nursing vacancies and 2,901 positions of assistant medical officer remaining unfilled as of March.

Responding to a health ministry reply in the Dewan Negara last week, Lingeshwaran said the ministry was processing 479 nursing graduates for permanent appointments in September, but this figure accounted for only about 3% of the total nursing vacancies.

“We cannot solve a shortage of 15,000 staff by appointing only 479 at a time. The ministry has increased nursing diploma training capacity to 3,000 per year, but these trainees will only join the workforce after three years,” he said.

“Given the current vacancies and retirements, recruiting 3,000 nurses annually may still be insufficient to close the deficit by 2028 and beyond,” said Lingeshwaran, a former director of Sungai Bakap Hospital in Penang.

“As a medical practitioner with hospital management experience, the scale of this crisis is deeply concerning. The government cannot rely on a gradual approach when our healthcare system is under strain,” he said.

He commended the ministry’s decision to recruit Grade U5 nurses on a permanent basis and the initiative to recruit MySTEP personnel for non-clinical ward duties, as well as the “return to practice” programme to hire retired nurses on contract .

Lingeshwaran proposed that contract assistant medical officers and qualified private-sector graduates be placed in permanent positions immediately, allow bachelor’s degree nursing graduates to fill Grade U5 posts, and introduce retention bonuses for those serving in critical locations.

The senator also urged the health ministry to work with the Public Service Department and the Public Services Commission to implement a “workforce emergency protocol” to prevent the healthcare system from collapsing.

“The ministry should also utilise nursing robot technology and artificial intelligence in nursing care,” he added. - FMT