JOHOR BAHRU, Aug 9 — The Johor government has welcomed a proposal for strategic cooperation with Indonesia to address the shortage of nurses in Malaysia’s medical sector, particularly in the state.
State Health and Environment Committee chairman Ling Tian Soon said the move would not only help resolve the problem in public hospitals but also the private sector.
However, the relevant agencies and ministries needed to prepare a clear standard operating procedure (SOP) for the recruitment of workers from the country in the sector.
He said this was because foreign nurses wishing to work in Malaysia were required to complete several processes, including obtaining approval from the Malaysian Nursing Board.
“They may also need to obtain a work permit from the Human Resources Ministry. These are all technical matters (that need to be considered).
"I welcome (the proposal), but technically, perhaps the relevant agency or ministry needs to provide a clear SOP,” Ling said when contacted by Bernama.
He was commenting on a Bernama report on the recent proposal by the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in Johor Bahru for Indonesian nurses to serve in the country to address the manpower shortage in the medical sector.
Consul General Sigit S. Widiyanto said this would be a win-win situation since about 70 per cent of the international patients in Malaysia were from Indonesia.
The measure would be mutually beneficial as Malaysia was facing a manpower shortage in the health sector, including nurses, while Indonesia had a surplus workforce in the field.
Previously, Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said major hospitals in Johor Bahru were currently facing a serious and critical shortage of healthcare manpower, with a nurse having to care for more than 10 to 14 patients per shift, compared to the ideal ratio of 1:6 or a maximum of 1:8.
