Johor S Healthcare Crisis Deepens Amidst Staffing Shortages Singapore S Pull

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JOHOR is facing a severe healthcare staffing crisis, driven by overworked personnel, a surging population, and the steady migration of medical talent to neighbouring Singapore.
According to The Straits Times, the state urgently requires at least 4,600 more healthcare workers, including doctors, nurses, and specialists, to meet growing demands.
Major hospitals like Sultanah Aminah and Sultan Ismail are operating at 100–110% capacity daily.
Nurses are caring for up to 14 patients per shift, twice the ideal ratio, while some patients are forced to sleep in waiting areas.
Hospital Sultanah Aminah, Malaysia’s second busiest public hospital, sees more than 2,000 patients daily.
Former government cardiologist Dr Ng Kim Fong, who left the hospital in 2024 after nearly two decades, said he once tended to around 100 patients a day.
He has since moved to private practice with a significantly higher salary. Johor’s population surged by 11.1% over the past decade, reaching 4.01 mil in 2024.
The strain on healthcare services has become unsustainable, prompting the Johor Regent to urge the federal government to accelerate recruitment efforts.
A major driver of the crisis is the exodus of healthcare professionals to Singapore, drawn by better pay and working conditions.
Senator R.A. Lingeshwaran noted that Singapore offers Malaysian doctors up to S$110,000 annually plus perks, compared to just RM72,000 (S$22,000) for a Malaysian medical officer with three years’ experience.
Low salaries, overwork, poor work culture, and limited career advancement are pushing more Malaysian healthcare workers to leave the public sector or move abroad. — Focus Malaysia

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