PUTRAJAYA: The Public Service Department (JPA) has approved the creation of 66,312 new non-trade-off posts for the Ministry of Health (MOH), involving a financial implication of RM6.7 billion to strengthen the nation's public healthcare system.
In a statement today, the JPA said it had approved the creation of 53,516 new non-trade-off posts to support the operation of new healthcare facilities, upgrade projects for existing facilities and to enhance the delivery of healthcare services to the public, with a financial implication of RM4.5 billion.
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In addition, the government has also approved the creation of 12,796 permanent posts for three key MOH schemes - Medical Officers, Dental Officers and Pharmacists - from 2022 until June 30 this year, with a financial implication of RM2.2 billion.
The JPA, together with the Ministry of Finance, is also reviewing an application to create 13,000 new non-trade-off posts to support the operation of 256 new and upgraded healthcare facilities, with an estimated financial implication of RM1.25 billion.
"These facts prove that efforts to strengthen the public healthcare system remain a government priority.
"The creation of new posts, strengthening the career pathways of healthcare personnel and the development of healthcare facilities are being implemented on an ongoing basis to ensure that the public continues to receive quality healthcare services,” it added.
JPA said that based on the Malaysia Health Indicators 2025 published by MOH, the national medical officers-to-population ratio now stands at about 1:403, thus achieving the target set for 2026.
"However, this achievement does not mean that all healthcare facilities have the same level of human resource capacity.
"There are significant disparities in the distribution of Medical Officers across states and federal territories. For example, the medical officers-to-population ratio in the Federal Territory of Putrajaya is about 1:19, far exceeding the national average,” it said.
The JPA said these statistics indicate that the current challenge is no longer solely about creating new posts.
"Instead, the challenge now is focused on the effective distribution, placement and optimal utilisation of human resources to ensure that every hospital and healthcare facility has the capacity required to provide the best possible services to the public,” it added.
The JPA said its audit also found that the management of Training Reserve Posts (JSL) still has room for improvement, particularly in accelerating the process of dispersing Medical Officers who have completed specialist training so that they can be redeployed to hospitals and health facilities within a shorter timeframe.
"This move is crucial to ensure that Training Reserve Posts can be vacated and reused by other eligible Medical Officers pursuing specialist training.
"Based on current records, the redeployment process for Medical Officers after completing specialist training takes between three and 12 months before they can be assigned to healthcare facilities/
"This period has an implication on the utilisation cycle of Training Reserve Posts, as the posts cannot be immediately reused by other Medical Officers awaiting opportunities to undergo specialist training,” it said.
The JPA said that the Graduate On Time (GOT) rate for Medical Officers undergoing specialist training currently stands at around 46 per cent.
As such, it believes that the selection process for candidates, the monitoring of training implementation and the management of Training Reserve Posts must continue to be strengthened to ensure officers selected are fully ready and capable of completing their training within the stipulated period.
"This will help improve the GOT rate, optimise the use of Training Reserve Posts, the specialist training pathway for new Medical Officers and increase the availability of specialists in hospitals and healthcare facilities,” it added.
The JPA will continue to work closely with the MOH to strengthen human resource development in the healthcare sector through the creation of new posts, management of specialist training and continuous improvements in governance to ensure the country's public healthcare system remains sustainable and competitive.
