Materia Medica Malaysiana

Vacancies due to hiring system

PETALING JAYA: The acute labour shortage in the health sector is due to the way hiring is done and the unattractive wages, according to Universiti Sains Malaysia’s School of Health Sciences based in Kubang Kerian.
The Health Ministry’s latest statistics show that there are over 40,000 vacancies in the sector.
The dean of the school, Prof Zainul F. Zainuddin, said even the USM Kelantan campus was affected by the shortage.
He cited the case of biomedicine degree holders whom he said were in high demand but could not land jobs in diagnostic laboratories.
“They are needed in the laboratory but the reason they are not working in the civil service is due to the way hiring is structured.
“It is such that the Government can only hire diploma holders as lab technicians,” he said.
Prof Zainul said if degree holders applied for a lab job, they would be hired as science officers or lab managers.
“only two or three science officers are needed in one lab, against 20 to 30 lab technicians.
“If the hiring structure can be changed to hire degree holders as technicians, it would help ease the shortage and also provide jobs for graduates,” he said.
About half of the 40,000 vacancies were for nurses, and Prof Zainul attributed this to better salaries being offered by other countries.
In the Middle East, he said, a nurse could earn up to RM10,000 a month.
“Our nurses are very popular because they are well trained and speak English.
He welcomed Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek’s recent announcement of a new salary scheme for nurses, adding that this was a good example of “what should be done for all other positions in the health industry.”
Commenting on a recent report on the results of a poll conducted on jobless graduates by The Star, Prof Zainul said all five courses in Health Sciences offered by USM were recognised by the Public Services Department adding that the courses were capable of producing highly competent health professionals.
It had been reported that a graduate in Health Sciences from USM was told that her degree was not recognised by the JPA.
Prof Zainul also called on graduates to think of “creating jobs” instead of just looking for one.
“By becoming an entrepreneur, they can earn and also keep the economy growing by being job providers,” he added.