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Free Malaysia Today
10-07-2025
- Health
- Free Malaysia Today
Singapore's direct recruitment of doctors a serious concern, says senator
Senator Dr RA Lingeshwaran said a Malaysian medical officer with three years' experience only earns a gross salary of about RM6,000 per month or RM72,000 a year. (Reuters pic) PETALING JAYA : Singapore's bold move to hold direct interviews at a leading hotel in Kuala Lumpur next month for the recruitment of experienced doctors is likely to exacerbate the brain drain in the healthcare sector, a senator says. Dr RA Lingeshwaran said the latest advertisement by the republic's health ministry calling for walk-in interviews at Traders Hotel next month, offering an annual package of S$110,000 (RM385,000) plus housing and other perks, would surely attract Malaysian doctors. He said the salary excluded monthly accommodation allowance, insurance, and other benefits like on-call allowance. The doctors are only required to have a minimum of three years' experience at Malaysian hospitals and clinics. RA Lingeshwaran. 'What's more telling is Singapore's decision to open it to all medical degree holders without having to sit for an examination. 'Previously, they only recruited medical graduates from Universiti Malaya (UM) and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) directly. 'I think this will open the floodgates as the costliest expenditure in Singapore, which is accommodation, will be covered. The comments on social media by doctors are an indication that we are going to lose our medical brains,' he told FMT. According to the advertisement, doctors who qualify from UM and UKM can apply for the post of medical officer while others will be known as clinical associates with the same remuneration package. Clinical associates are foreign-trained doctors who are granted temporary medical registration to work in specific departments in Singapore hospitals. They perform duties equivalent to those of a medical officer or junior resident. Lingeshwaran, a former director of Sungai Bakap Hospital in Penang, said a Malaysian medical officer with three years' experience only earned a gross salary of about RM6,000 per month or RM72,000 a year. He said the health ministry should view this latest move by Singapore seriously as it would impact healthcare in Malaysia, which is already under stress. The senator said he had been informed by the dean of RCSI & UCD Malaysia Campus in Penang that about 40% of 105 medical students who graduated there last month had applied to do their internships in Ireland or the UK. 'They are leaving because the Malaysian system provides them with no certainty and support for their future. The unresolved contract doctor policy, lack of permanent positions, limited career progression and poor work-life balance are driving them away,' he said. In December, health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad was reported as saying that a total of 6,417 permanent and contract medical officers resigned from 2019 to 2023. 'The brain drain is not a drip any more, it is now a wave. We need urgent structural reforms to retain our talent, value their service, and give them a future worth staying for,' said Lingeshwaran.
Free Malaysia Today
02-06-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Introduce e-voting in MMC for greater credibility, urges senator
Senator Dr RA Lingeshwaran said there have been many complaints over the years of ballot papers reaching the doctors after results are announced. (Facebook pic) PETALING JAYA : Ballot papers for the Malaysian Medical Council elections are not reaching many of the 74,000 doctors in the country, which raises questions on the credibility of the annual election process, says Senator Dr RA Lingeshwaran. Speaking to FMT, the former director of Sungai Bakap Hospital in Penang said there have been many complaints over the years of ballot papers reaching the doctors after results are announced. Lingeshwaran said he, too, had not received ballot papers a few times; on average, only 20% of the ballot papers are returned to MMC, he said. The senator acccused MMC of not improving the election process despite complaints, and urged the new director-general of health, Dr Mahathar Abdul Wahab, to introduce an online election process in view of the large number of doctors involved in the polls. 'The frequent transfers of doctors in the government sector also contributes to their not receiving the ballot papers,' he said. 'Postal voting for such an important government organisation makes the system obsolete and questionable in today's digital world. He urged MMC under the new leadership of Mahathar to introduce e-voting as soon as possible. 'MMC has the database and the means to put it into practice,' he said. MMC is the national medical regulator and is empowered to register and licence medical practitioners and regulate their standards. It is headed by the health director-general and nine appointed doctors from the universities and 17 elected members, 15 of which are from Peninsular Malaysia and one each from Sabah and Sarawak. The council started sending out ballot papers to doctors from May 23. They have until July 25 to return the marked ballots.
