Make Do Decision Ails The Healthcare System

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The Malaysian healthcare system has been plagued by a shortage of nurses for years now.
A combination of low salaries, excessive workload, oppressive work environment and the stress of having to deal with life-and-death situations too frequently has led many to throw in the towel.
The number of young graduates seeking a career in nursing has also dropped significantly over the years. Perhaps many are put off by the horror stories of those who come before them.
Data from the Malaysian Medical Council shows that the number of provisional registrations for nurses has dropped from 6,147 in 2017 to 3,247 in 2023, leaving government hospitals now acutely short of these support staff.
The situation is only going to get worse. In May last year, health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said the shortage of nurses at hospitals is projected to reach nearly 60% by 2030.
However, the government faces major challenges in its effort to stitch up a plan that will not only keep our nurses at home but also get new ones into the service.
Those who are still keen on building a career in nursing now have the option of greener pastures elsewhere.
One does not need to look too far. In November 2024, the Singapore government announced a sign-on bonus of S$15,000 for nursing graduates who opt to work in its public healthcare system.
That’s equivalent to RM49,250.
A 2022 report in the Straits Times shows that the base salary for entry-level registered nurses is between S$3,300 and S$5,200 (RM10,832 to RM17,068) per month.
The median salary for a staff nurse in Malaysia is RM2,500 a month.
Rather than go to the root of the problem, which would entail, among others, raising remuneration, easing stress levels and improving work conditions, the government’s answer is simple — make it easier for people to sign up to become a nurse.
According to an Utusan Malaysia report, health minister Dzulkefly verified a circular making the rounds on social media saying that the entry requirements for training in nursing had been relaxed.
To sign up for the nursing programme, one now needs to have only three credits and two passes in their SPM, down from five credits previously. This will apply only to students in the 2025 and 2026 intakes.
The problem with such a short cut is that it will lead to a negative, even dangerous, long-term impact, but we’ll come to that later.
The country does not have enough healthcare workers to care for the millions who are in need of medicare.
In 2023, the health ministry revealed that by then, there already were 115,230 nurses, which means there was one nurse for every 283 persons in the country. Nonetheless it is still short of the World Health Organization’s target of 225 persons per nurse.
In Singapore, it was 129 persons for every nurse in the city state as of 2022.
That probably accounts for why nurses in Malaysia are so over-worked.
The impact is obvious. Nurses who are not adequately qualified, or those who are tired from too many hours in the ward, cannot humanly provide the care that patients need.
Mistakes happen and the consequences can be dire. Knowing this, many of us would shudder at the thought of getting warded at a government hospital.
The health ministry’s answer to the shortage of nurses is, like many other government responses, rather ad hoc.
The fact is that the whole system needs an overhaul. Higher compensation, less stressful work environment and adequate rest is a good start.
What the government proposes to do now does not even come close to treating the symptoms, much less the disease.
Lives are at stake here. - FMT
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.

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