MMA: Reforms urgent to stop doctor exodus amid Singapore job offers
Its president, Datuk Dr Kalwinder Singh Khaira, said the recent aggressive recruitment campaign by Singapore, offering a highly attractive annual package of RM385,000 with accommodation and cost of living covered, could accelerate the exodus of Malaysian doctors.
"While the MMA respects the rights of individuals to seek opportunities abroad, we urge the government to take serious note of the increasing consequences of such recruitment.
"Although Singapore has long recruited Malaysian healthcare professionals, recent developments suggest an intensification of these efforts, likely driven by growing healthcare demands in the island nation," he said in a statement.
Dr Kalwinder warned that the consequences for Malaysia's public healthcare system could be severe, especially as the country already faces critical shortages of healthcare workers, particularly in Sarawak and Sabah.
"The loss of even more medical professionals to neighbouring countries like Singapore, as well as the UK, Australia and Ireland, will further strain our healthcare delivery," he said.
Responding to a recent statement by Senator Dr R.A. Lingeshwaran, who raised concerns over Singapore's relaxed eligibility criteria and lucrative offer, Dr Kalwinder said it was imperative for Malaysia to immediately implement effective retention strategies.
Among the MMA's top recommendations is for the government to abolish the contract system and return to offering permanent positions to all new doctors, as was practised in the past.
"The contract system was introduced when there was a surge in new medical graduates and insufficient posts.
"That is no longer the case. Now, there are enough positions for direct recruitment.
"Job security must be restored to make the profession appealing again," he said.
He also urged the government to fulfil its promise to increase on-call allowances, establish clear career pathways for specialisation, and amend policies to allow more doctors to undergo specialist training without the constraints of the Hadiah Latihan Persekutuan (HLP) programme.
Other key reforms proposed include allowing reimbursement for travel and cargo costs for interstate transfers, particularly for those posted to East Malaysia.
He said the government should also rectify the current disparity in regional incentive payments (Bayaran Insentif Wilayah) under the SSPA salary scheme, which has discouraged doctors from accepting transfers to Sabah and Sarawak.
"Retaining our doctors must be treated as a national priority.
"Any further delay in addressing these issues risks irreparable harm to the healthcare system and jeopardises services for the millions of Malaysians relying on public healthcare," said Dr Kalwinder.
The Johor government yesterday expressed concern over the growing number of Malaysian public healthcare professionals, particularly doctors and nurses, being lured to Singapore with lucrative pay packages.
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