Shortage of medical staff

The Star: Malaysia is facing not only a shortage of doctors but also allied health services personnel.
Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said that there were only 61,472 healthcare professionals, and 129,634 more were needed.
By the year 2020, a total of 255,791 allied health services personnel will be needed. The shortage of such personnel are from 11 categories – staff nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dental nurses, dental technicians, therapeutic radiographers, diagnostic radiographers, pharmacy assistants, medical assistants, medical laboratory technologists and health inspectors.
“Allied health staff makes up 57% of the workforce in the government healthcare services,” Chua told reporters after launching Masterskill College of Nursing and Health and its RM1mil scholarship award in Cheras yesterday.
Chua said the ministry’s 18 nursing colleges could only train 2,500 nurses a year, but the number was set to increase with the completion of several new training institutions under the Eighth and Ninth Malaysia Plans.
“We have outsourced the training of more than 1,500 nurse students to 10 private colleges since 2001, and currently there are 89 trainee nurses at Masterskill,” he said.
He said the ministry had also received approval from the Cabinet recently to continue the outsourcing.