Acute shortage of dermatologists in Malaysia

theSundaily KUALA LUMPUR (June 10, 2012): Medical universities here are being asked to bump up training in dermatology towards overcoming the acute shortage of skin specialists in the country. The Health Ministry is calling for more exposure and teaching in dermatology as there are currently only 84 registered dermatologists.

The current ratio of about one dermatologist per 200,000 population is far too low and a far cry from the ministry’s projected target of 285 dermatologists by 2020.

Health Ministry Dermatology Services head Datuk Dr Roshidah Baba told theSun that the declining study of dermatology in medical universities is of great concern.

Dermatology is a specialist field dealing with afflictions of the skin – from common skin diseases such as eczema to serious and disfiguring ones like leprosy.

“The study of dermatology has dwindled to being taught in just seven or eight out of 33 medical universities,” she said, adding that the decline is largely due to the fact that there is little interest in the teaching of this particular field.

“There are only 32 dermatologists in the public sector (hospitals as well as universities), while the rest are in the private sector,” she said.

Roshidah said the ministry has met with the deans of medical universities and are in talks to reintroduce dermatology training (or posting) in order to pique interest in the field.

“We are working towards having universities include a two-week posting within their training modules,” she said.

“Firstly, this is so that medical students who undergo housemanship will be sufficiently competent to handle or diagnose the treatment of acne, or other common skin diseases.

“Secondly, we hope that having been exposed to the field of dermatology, young doctors may want to continue to specialise in it,” she said.

Roshidah said the ministry also conducts its own dermatology training programmes and has trained 21 dermatologists so far.

The shortage of dermatologists is in fact a global concern, and countries such as the United States, Canada and Australia have reported that a lack of skin specialists have compounded the slow diagnosis of skin cancer.

In the US, reports highlight the long waiting period for patients to meet with a skin specialist – some up to three months – due to the shortage.

Dermatology Society of Malaysia president Dr Koh Chuan Keng told theSun the shortage will ultimately be to the detriment of patients.

“With so few universities teaching dermatology, most young doctors cannot even diagnose simple skin ailments, or tell the difference between a fungal infection and eczema.”

“This would lead to patients resorting to over-the-counter treatments such as creams which may contain steroids, and this can be risky,” he said.

Koh said the main reason for the lack of interest in this specialised field is that it takes up to 20 years to be a fully-qualified dermatologist.

“After completing his housemanship of two years, a medical graduate would have to practise in general medicine for up to five years before he would be allowed to take up the Health Ministry’s dermatology training programme, which will take another five years,” he said.

Koh said the society has urged the ministry to cut down on the lengthy process in order to address the acute shortage of dermatologists, and restore interest in the field.