Foreign nurses plan not feasible in near term, says health ministry

PETALING JAYA: The proposal to bring in foreign nurses to address the shortage of healthcare workers involves complex processes and could incur high costs, says the health ministry.

Health ministry secretary-general Hasnol Zam Zam Ahmad said the government may have to bear various expenses, including agent fees, similar to those incurred by employers hiring foreign domestic helpers.

“There must be cooperation between governments, which does not yet exist.

“Then there are issues, such as the recognition of qualifications. So, there is a lot that needs to be done,” he said, stressing that the approach will not be implemented in the near future.

Hasnol said this during the recent Bicara Sihat Edisi Khas podcast, which discussed the direction of the country’s healthcare system.

He was responding to questions on whether the ministry would consider suggestions for the government to bring in foreign nurses.

Elaborating further, Hasnol said the ministry is focused on strengthening the local healthcare workforce to address the shortage of nurses in government health facilities.

He said the ministry is increasing the capacity of its training institutes to produce more trained nursing staff.

Hasnol said the expansion of training institutes aims to increase the intake of nurses from about 3,000 to a target of 5,000 per cohort.

He added that the ministry will also begin collaboration with private nursing colleges next year and encourage retired or former nurses to return to service on a contract basis or as needed.

“Sometimes nurses take early retirement for various reasons, and later they may want to return to service,” he said.

“So we can consider appointing them on a contract basis. These are among the available options.”