Answer for Written Question PT064

QUESTION

Yang Berhormat Dayang Hajah Safiah binti Sheikh Haji Abd. Salam

YANG BERHORMAT DAYANG HAJAH SAFIAH BINTI SHEIKH HAJI ABD. SALAM asks the Minister of Health to state, in view of the urgent need for nurses and the risk of losing local talent without an effective retention strategy, what initiatives are being undertaken by the Ministry of Health to attract and retain the participation of local youth in the field of nursing? Will the Ministry consider innovative approaches such as work-and-study placements abroad as a strategy to strengthen skills, increase career attractiveness, and build sustainable professional networks?

ANSWER

Yang Berhormat Menteri Kesihatan

In addressing the issue of the shortage of nursing personnel as well as increasing the attractiveness of this profession to local youth, the Ministry of Health has implemented various strategic efforts towards the recruitment and retention of nurses. Among the initiatives currently being and already implemented are as follows:

a. Career Promotion Programme (Career Talk)

The Ministry actively conducts nursing career briefing/information sessions at secondary schools throughout the country as an initial step to introduce career prospects in the health sector, thereby increasing the interest of local students in the nursing profession.

b. Collaboration with Nursing Education Institutions

The Ministry works closely with local academic institutions to accelerate the production of nursing graduates through the restructuring of training programmes and the expansion of student intake capacity, in order to meet the increasing demand for nursing manpower.

c. Implementation of Skills Enhancement Training (Upskilling)

The Ministry provides various training platforms and skills enhancement courses focused on clinical competencies, specialised expertise, as well as developments in the health system, to ensure that nurses are always prepared to face current and future challenges.

d. Review and Updating of the Nursing Service Scheme and Special Nursing Allowance

The Ministry is in the process of reviewing the Nursing Service Scheme and the Special Nursing Allowance to ensure a more attractive and competitive salary structure and career pathway, particularly for Bachelor’s degree holders, in an effort to attract more graduates to join the public health service.

e. Priority Given to Local Graduates

The filling of Nurse posts at government health facilities is prioritised for local nursing graduates as a strategic measure to ensure a higher retention rate as well as support for the national agenda of developing in-country human resource capacity.

f. Application for Additional Nurse Posts

Through close cooperation with the Jawatankuasa Tanggagaji dan Syarat-Syarat Perkhidmatan (JTG) as well as the Public Service Commission, the Ministry continuously applies for additional Nurse posts to address shortages and strengthen the existing health service system. Alhamdulillah, the effort to apply for additional Nurse posts has already been allocated provisions for a five-year period (2023-2027), namely 761 nursing posts in total.

g. Review of bond terms as a retention measure

This Ministry, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, has also reviewed and implemented an extension of the bond duration for local doctor and nurse graduates. This measure aims to ensure returns on investment in human resource development as well as reduce the rate of loss of local talent through a long-term retention strategy. This requires cooperation from the relevant stakeholders for effective implementation.

The Ministry of Health remains committed to ensuring that nurses remain competent, relevant, and prepared to face dynamic changes in the healthcare system. As one innovative approach, the Ministry has sent and continues to send nursing staff to undertake In-Service Training (LDP) either within the country or abroad, including short-term and long-term training.

For information, the statistics of nurses’ participation in overseas LDP are as follows:

• Short-term Training Abroad:

  • Year 2023: 4 people
  • Year 2024: 11 people
  • Year 2025: 27 people

• Long-term Training Abroad:

  • Year 2023: 2 people
  • Year 2026: 4 people

Meanwhile, long-term training within the country has shown the following increase:

• Year 2023: 3 people
• Year 2024: 9 people
• Year 2025: 19 people

In addition to formal training abroad, the Ministry also provides various continuous skills enhancement training such as:

• In-house training
• Specialisation training in critical fields (for example, Diabetic Nurse Educator, Dialysis, and others)
• Continuous Professional Development Programme

These measures are not only intended to strengthen nurses’ technical and clinical skills, but also serve as an effective retention strategy through career empowerment and the development of more attractive professional pathways.

The Ministry also evaluates and identifies opportunities in the form of Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) that can provide Clinical Attachment experience for nurses as part of a long-term strategy to strengthen professional networks as well as enhance the competitiveness and motivation of local nurses.

The Ministry remains committed to developing resilient, capable, and high-quality nursing human capital for the sustainability of the national healthcare system.