Healthcare Professionals’ Wellbeing: Is the Job Market Really Saturated?

Abstract

Surplus of doctors or highly unemployed doctors? Malaysia faces the challenge of answering, balancing between the two. As per reported in 2019, we have 23077 contract doctors in ‘Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia’ (KKM) and just recently, only roughly about 4000 have been absorbed into permanent posts. Since then, private practice has blossomed with more private clinics opening like mushrooms. Diabetes, hyperlipidaemia and hypertension are on the rise. Ischemic heart disease remains as the number one pathological contributor to death. Mental health is currently crippling into our youth and our working class. Since the start of the contract system, KKM has been unable to deliver specialists as they used to, due to the change of system. Malaysia’s population is estimated to be at 32.7million according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia. With a whopping total of almost 50000 doctors in KKM as per 2019 statistics, can they face the tide? Are we overproducing doctors or underdeveloping new doctors? 

International Journal of Human and Health Sciences Supplementary Issue: 2023 Page: S13