Over 3,600 doctors and nurses resigned last five years
However, during the same period, he said the Health Ministry appointed 13,349 medical officers and 8,121 staff nurses in public hospitals.
'The Health Ministry is aware of the need to increase healthcare officers in tandem with patient arrivals at our facilities,' Dzulkefly said.
Therefore, to ensure healthcare facilities are adequately staffed, he said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had made a special announcement to hire more government doctors this year.
He was responding to Wong Shu Qi (PH-Kluang), who asked about the number of doctors and nurses who resigned from 2020 until June 30 this year. She had also asked about the number of new doctors and nurses hired during the same period.
According to Dzulkefly, a total of 13,552 contract medical officers were offered full-time positions from 2023 until now, exceeding the government's target of 12,800.
'This is an average of 4,000 medical officers appointed each year,' he added.
Dzulkefly also said the quota of trainee nurses has been increased from 1,000 to 3,000 spots, which is a three-fold increase.
Meanwhile, to address the shortage of staff in Sabah and Sarawak, Dzulkefly said the Health Ministry has allocated 960 spots to hire permanent medical officers.
Wong then asked a supplementary question on whether the government is ready to consider a proposal by the Consul-General of the Republic of Indonesia in Johor Baru to recruit nurses from the republic to address Malaysia's staffing shortage.
Dzulkefly said the Health Ministry has not received an official proposal.
'If there is (an official proposal), we are ready to consider it. But I have to stress that whether we approve it or not, it depends on factors such as effectiveness, safety and need. We also need to speak with the Public Service Department,' he said.
Last week, the Consul-General of the Republic of Indonesia in Johor Baru Sigit S. Widiyanto said allowing Indonesian nurses to work in Malaysia would benefit both countries.
However, the Congress of Unions of Employees in Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) opposed the idea, saying that many local nursing graduates are still waiting for permanent and contract positions, with some having waited as long as eight months. It said priority should be given to local nurses, who are already trained and awaiting employment.
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