Eased Criteria For Nursing Diplomas Could Compromise Quality Says Union

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The health ministry recently announced that the entry qualifications for nurses will be lowered from five SPM credits to three for the 2025 and 2026 intakes to address an acute shortage of nurses in the country.
PETALING JAYA: A nursing union has criticised the health ministry’s move to lower the admission requirements for nursing diplomas, expressing concerns that it would affect the quality of healthcare.
Malayan Nurses Union president Saaidah Athman said the union disagreed with the short-term measure, insisting that entry-level nurses should have the proper prerequisites, which the previous requirements ensured.
“The union disagrees with this measure as a (temporary) solution to address the shortage because we are worried it will affect the quality of nursing and patient care,” she told FMT.

On Monday, health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad confirmed a circular lowering the enrolment requirement set for nursing diploma programmes from five SPM credits to three.
He said health director-general Dr Radzi Abu Hassan had advised him that there was a need to relax the requirements given there was a critical shortage of nurses in the country.
Candidates were previously required to have at least five credits, including in Bahasa Melayu, Mathematics, and one science subject. They were also required to pass their English exam.
Under the new requirements, applicants will now only need credits in Bahasa Melayu, Mathematics and one science subject, and a pass in two others, including English.
The relaxed entry requirements will only apply to students enrolling in the 2025 and 2026 intakes.
Saaidah suggested that the ministry expedite the training of nurses under its “promotion by appointment” (PSL) programme, saying this would allow existing “community nurses” to be absorbed immediately.
The PSL programme allows non-diploma holders employed as community nurses to qualify as registered nurses through training and assessments.
Former health ministry official Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar said the temporary relaxing of requirements was acceptable as a short-term measure but urged Putrajaya to address the broader issues causing the shortage more holistically.
“The government should offer additional incentives to attract more people into nursing, such as better salaries, a good working environment, a manageable workload, and a clear long-term career pathway,” he said.
He also said the eased requirements were unlikely to affect the quality of healthcare but said teaching institutions may have to adjust their training accordingly.
Zainal, who previously led the Malaysian Public Health Physicians’ Association, called for prospective nurses to be properly evaluated and said graduates must continue to be monitored to ensure their quality.
Last May, Dzulkefly said the nursing shortage in hospitals was projected to reach nearly 60% by 2030. - FMT

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