Health Ministry in final phase to resolve specialist shortage, reviews training barriers

Dr Dzulkefly (third left) addressing a press conference after the signing ceremony of MoU for Bakun-Murum Health Clinic at the ministry's office in Putrajaya on June 19, 2026. Photo credit: TVS

By DayakDaily Team

KUCHING, June 20: The Ministry of Health (MOH) is now in the final phase of ensuring that the issue of medical specialist shortages can be resolved, as it carries out a comprehensive review that includes possible bureaucratic constraints affecting specialist training.

In a TVS news, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the ministry is actively identifying and addressing any obstacles that could hinder the development of the country’s specialist workforce.

“At present, we are in the final phase of ensuring that the issue can be resolved,” he said after witnessing the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the construction of the Bakun-Murum Health Clinic in Putrajaya on Friday (June 19).

Also present were Deputy Digital Minister Datuk Wilson Ugak Kumbong and Sarawak Deputy Minister for Utility and Telecommunication Datuk Liwan Lagang.

Elaborating further, Dr Dzulkefly said the shortage of specialists affects both the public and private healthcare sectors.

He said improvements to address the issue will be implemented progressively, in line with the ongoing development of the country’s healthcare facilities.

Meanwhile, he said the MOH is refining more accurate norms and metrics to better determine the actual staffing needs of each healthcare facility.

According to him, the ministry has implemented a temporary cluster-based crisis management system to manage current constraints while awaiting a more comprehensive solution.

“This approach is interim in nature because we want a clearer and more comprehensive solution based on a proper understanding of the needs, norms, metrics, and capacity of each healthcare facility.

“Every hospital has different requirements depending on its category and function. Therefore, a one-size-fits-all approach is not suitable for determining the number and distribution of specialist personnel,” he said. — DayakDaily