Below, I have attached the “Health Facts 2012” which was recently released by Ministry of Health. These are the figures for 2011. Well, the writings are on the wall. If you look at the figures carefully, as of 31/12/2011, we have already achieved a doctor: population ratio of 1: 791 compared to 1: 900 in 2010. This figure includes all the housemen with the total number of doctors standing at 36 607. I am very sure with the exponential increase in the number of medical graduates, we will achieve a ratio of 1: 600 by 2014, almost 2 years before the targeted year of 2016. If the trend continues, we will achieve 1: 400 way before 2020, probably by 2016!! Always remember that 50% of the current 34 functioning medical schools have not produced their graduates.
It is obvious that in comparison, we are still very short of dentists (1: 6800) and pharmacists (1: 3355) despite the post in civil service being almost full as mentioned here and here. Once the 1Care system is implemented and the dispensing rights are given to the pharmacist, more pharmacists will be needed to run these NHS dispensing pharmacies. I was informed recently (not sure how true it is) that smaller pharmacists are being advised to merge with the bigger ones as the government may only appoint few big chain pharmacists as their dispenser.
It is also interesting to note that the population growth rate is declining to 1.3% last year but the doctor’s growth rate is increasing at 15%/year, at least. It is quite obvious that we have enough doctors but it is the maldistribution that’s needed to be addressed. We all know that Klang Valley has a doctor: population ratio of less than 1: 400. Many doctors in Klang Valley are struggling to survive and venturing into unethical practices and direct selling’s.
When we include the private and public sector, the number of hospital beds and doctors are more than enough. What we need is integration of public and private healthcare. The government is hoping that the 1Care system will address this problem. Once 1Care system is implemented and the public hospitals are corporatized, medical graduates will need to apply to individual hospitals for a job and will depend on job vacancies. When this time comes in another 5-10 years, the maldistribution issues will be automatically solved. Many will remain jobless as it is only so many that the system can absorb!
Please read : health_fact_2012_page_by_page
Pagalavan's Avatar 
Hi Dr Pagalavan,
First of all I would like to say that your blog has been an eye-opening experience for me. Much of the situation regarding medical graduates/doctors is not being published in the media. And I thank you for taking the time to enlighten us.
In this post you mentioned regarding maldistribution. And I am assuming that is regarding the number of doctors in East Malaysia.
Is there a statistical number depicting the discrepancy of doctors in the East compared to the West? I would believe that would reflect greatly upon the readers of your blog, if any sort of numbers could be published, informal or not.
The maldistribution is not just East vs West Malaysia. It is also urban vs rural within West Malaysia, and even popular vs unpopular depts within particular large hospitals.
Part of the problem is that everyone tries to pull cables to make sure the get ‘desired’ jobs, to the point where some departments have too many MOs and some too few – within the same hospital.
There is no single national body that keeps track of who goes where, to decide who should be posted in an objective manner. You get to rank your state, and then report to the hospital where the secretary just decides where you go, depending on which dept in the hospital he/she thinks needs you at the time (unless you have cables of course).
Seriously, I’d probably put in more work doing the roster in my hospital than what these guys seem to do at a national level.
Great post. I have put this link up in the Medical school updates in the new MMR forums. Registration is free http://malaysianmedicine.com
Great post. I have linked this to the Medical school section of the new MMR forums. http://malaysianmedicine.com
what about those doctors that suddenly quit their profession to enter more lucrative business, or those who didnt complete their housemanship a.k.a license, or those who died in accident etc.have you taken all these account into the ratio.how accurate is these ratio?WHO recommended ratio is 1:600.so what is the fuss?
Again, you are not getting the point!! The number of doctors dropping dead, leaving the profession and not receiving full registration is available with MMC. The last I found out, it is less then 1000. In fact it is only about 500-600/year!!We produced 4000 last year and will reach 8000 by 2016!! You do your maths!
Yes, WHO says 1:600. That is the figure quoted by our government. WHat I am saying is that we are going to achieve that, way before 2016. It is simply too fast and too soon. UK took 100 years to achieve that!! AND WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THAT!!
It’s one thing to get the ratio, but the balance is skewed. We have way too many junior doctors and not enough senior ones (in the govt service anyway). The 1:600 ratio is misleading because we are bottom heavy and those at the bottom have no choice but to:
1. Compete to get on to the Masters programme (1000 places annually now – compared with 7000-8000 new grads annually)
2. Sit for what external qualifications that are still recognized. The most apparent one is the MRCP but not everyone wants to become a physician.
3. Leave to become a GP (this market is already saturated, and there is a chance the govt may make it compulsory to do a diploma in the future)
4. Become a chronic MO
5. Leave medicine altogether
There are long many jobless doctors in the developed countries (USA/UK/EU/AUS…etc) due to oversupply, so what is so ‘abnormal’ that Malaysia is going to have jobless doctors too? Supply vs demand, demand vs supply, it is just a vicious cycle. When there are too many jobless doctors, nodoby will study medicine or parents will not encourage their children to study medicine, then the supply will drop again.
If public hospitals are to be corporatized, how are the most rural hospitals going to survive? For example, Hospital Kapit in Sarawak, where one needs to take flight from KL to Sibu, then take express/boat from Sibu to Kapit, and during certain months of the year when the river is too shallow for the boat, he needs to walk along the river bank…… who wanna apply to such hospital??
When the job market gets saturated, people got no choice but to go where there is a vacancy rather then being jobless.
Can we veto for a qualifying examination for all graduates??regardless of where they graduate??This is the most fair solution.
http://thestar.com.my/education/story.asp?file=/2010/12/12/education/7602864&sec=education
This is an old article. Our Ex DG proposed this in the new medical act but unfortunately it was shot down by the Cabinet!! Our politicians got their own agenda!! How are they going to cover the MARA and JPA scholars!!
An old article but significant in that nothing has changed even in past 2 years. Instead, we have had more medical schools since then!
What’s the difference between a medical graduate from Cambridge University and a medical graduate from IMU? I have a friend going there and I will be going to IMU.
The only difference is the recognition. IMU local degree is not recognised elsewhere whereas Cambridge degree is recognised almost everywhere.
I am planning to study either dentistry in mahsa or pharmacy in imu.since i only have these two choices do u think which one is the best for me
I think, the most important question here is not whether which job is better, but rather which one do you have interest in doing. There is no point pursuing something which you do not have interest in, only to regret later and wished that you’ve done something else.
It is also important to find out from people who are already in the line, and in your case, dentists and pharmacists, to have them share their experiences with you and to see whether their field meets your interest and needs too.
It is up to you. Choose what you are interested.
[…] Does he know what he is talking about? Based on the latest statistics provided by MOH, as mentioned here, the number of doctors in public sector has already reached almost 26 000 last year. So, what 16 […]
[…] I have written over here, based on the government’s own statistics, it is obvious that we will have surplus of doctors […]
[…] I have written over here, based on the government’s own statistics, it is obvious that we will have surplus of doctors […]
[…] September 2012, I wrote about Health Facts 2012. The data was till 31/12/2011 which shows that the doctor: population ratio has already reached 1: […]