KUALA LUMPUR: There were 1,696 medical officers (MOs) who left the public service in 2022, and 54 per cent of them had joined the private sector and statutory bodies.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad yesterday said a survey by the ministry showed that 4.5 per cent of them went to work abroad.
Twenty eight per cent of them left the government hospitals for personal reasons, while six per cent joined public higher education institutions due to "slightly" better remuneration.
" Others left to pursue further studies (2.7 per cent), and opening their own clinics (0.8 per cent), while the other 0.5 per cent did not state any reasons."
Dr Dzulkefly said this in reply to the supplementary question from Fong Kui Lun (PH-Bukit Bintang) who wanted to know the reasons medical officers left the public service sector during Question Time today.
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Bernama quoted the minister as saying that the government has implemented various initiatives to ensure medical officers stay in the public sector, including setting the starting salary for contract officers Grade UD41 at RM5,197, a significantly higher amount compared to other public service schemes.
He said the government had also appointed 9,822 medical officers to permanent posts between 2019 and 2023, with another 6,000 appointments to be made in 2024-2025.
Dr Dzulkefly added that the government also provides incentives for specialised studies through facilities such as full-paid study leave with Federal Training Allowance and the Skill Training Programme.
