KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 774 Assistant Medical Officers (AMOs) under the sixth and seventh phases of contract appointments will be offered permanent positions as early as next month, in line with the government's commitment to strengthening the healthcare workforce.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said that, as of now, 3,264 AMOs are still on contract status, with 2,661 of them based at the Ministry of Health's Training Institutes, while the remainder are in private institutions.
"The total number of positions for AMOs stands at 17,770, with 92 per cent or 16,301 already filled, leaving 1,469 vacancies," he told a press conference after launching the 14th National-Level Medical Assistants Day celebration at Hospital Tunku Azizah here today.
Dzulkefly added that continuous efforts are being undertaken by the government to ensure that the clinical skills of over 25,000 AMOs nationwide remain enhanced, relevant, and aligned with the needs of the national healthcare system, including increasing training capacity and hiring new personnel.
In pursuit of this goal, he said the Health Ministry remains committed to supporting continuous training and curriculum improvements for AMO training, in line with the Assistant Medical Officer Profession Development Plan 2016–2030.
Meanwhile, to enhance the professionalism of AMOs, Dzulkefly stated that the ministry is currently strengthening the registration of Assistant Medical Officer Technical Experts (AMOTeX) as a regulatory platform to ensure that highly skilled AMOs remain within the ministry's specialist service.
"At the same time, the ministry supports the creation of flexible positions for AMOs in specialist fields to ensure a more dynamic and adaptable workforce that meets current needs," he said.
