Survey Shows 7 Out Of 10 Health Workers Are Considering Resignation
Malaysian Medical Association asks Ministry of Health to take the findings in CodeBlue’s survey positively and work towards speeding up reforms.
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Mayday! Mayday!
Malaysia may just be bleeding talents faster than expected.
In a recent survey conducted by health news website CodeBlue, it was found that a total of 95 percent of 1,652 health personnel which includes government doctors and nurses in the country stated that the country’s public health system is facing a crisis, with 73 percent of them considering resigning.
The survey also found that only two percent of the total number of respondents disagreed with the crisis in the health system, while another two percent were unsure.
The results of the survey also found that 53 percent of the respondents, some of whom were professionals, agreed with the status of ‘very angry’ about the current situation of the public health system, according to a scale of zero to four.
Netizens shared their thoughts on social media on the issue with many also agreeing that being a health personnel was draining and tiring.
Twitter user @PEBin09 said she too had considered leaving her previous job in the health sector.
“Work and on-call until morning then next day continue working until evening. Driving back to work super drowsy. Never willing to go through that again,” she wrote.
On the other hand, Twitter user @junakarma said “It’s no longer something that we can deny. Most of my peers are at their lowest point.”
“I know it’s called ‘public servant’ but this is literally kuli, literally hamba (slave). Overworked, no off day, last minute changes in departments, no wonder people are willing to quit.”
Another twitter user @SeriouslyIffah said if there were any other pathways to become a surgeon in Malaysia, she would have quit KKM as well.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) has asked the Ministry of Health (MOH) to take the findings in CodeBlue’s survey positively and work towards speeding up reforms.
“The findings confirm what MMA has been highlighting and that is that many public healthcare workers are frustrated with the system. Though only 1,652 participated in the survey, it should not be taken lightly,” said its president Dr Muruga Raj Rajathurai.
He added that the worrying issue is that not just the junior doctors are unhappy but even senior doctors and allied healthcare workers.
“If this many are thinking of quitting, we are concerned as to how long more can they endure the frustration while carrying out their duties. Will the health ministry’s planned reforms take place before they break down or leave for better opportunities?” he questioned.
While he agreed that the health minister has been working hard and has shown a strong commitment towards healthcare reforms, some of the improvements needed will need to be fast-tracked.
“We hope that as the government prepares for the re-tabling of Budget 2023, a more meaningful budget for health will be allocated with emphasis given to increasing and enhancing healthcare human resources.
“We believe the Prime Minister, who is a reformist himself, understands the importance of a resilient healthcare system and therefore we hope that the budget for health will be reflective of the government’s commitment towards the much needed healthcare reforms,” Muruga said.
Additionally, consultant paediatrician Datuk Dr Amar Singh HSS tweeted “MOH has been overworked, underpaid, and understaffed for a very long time.
“Seems no one wants to hear the cries of the staff. And the patients suffer.”
His tweet reflected on the 83 percent that felt that the government was being frivolous in dealing with public health system issues.
And the 80 percent of the respondents who agreed that they were not paid a fair salary, while 78 percent stated that their workload was too heavy.
A total of 74 percent felt they were facing pressure or ‘burnout’, and even 61 percent felt their career development in the country’s public health sector was not guaranteed.
More critically, 25 percent of the respondents admitted that they were bullied at work, and another two percent experienced sexual harassment at work.
The survey also found that 73 percent of government doctors (across seniority levels), pharmacists, dental officers, nurses, assistant medical officers, and allied health care workers in the public sector in Malaysia, are considering resigning from the public health sector.
In fact, more than half of them agreed that they would participate if any party organized a strike or hartal for professionals or health workers in the public sector, with only 14 percent expressing disapproval.
Interestingly, CodeBlue revealed that almost two-thirds of those who participated in the survey were medical officers, 64 percent, followed by graduate medical officers (11 percent), medical specialists (eight percent), pharmacy officers (eight percent), medical officers subspecialists (three percent), assistant medical officers (two percent), dental officers (two percent) and nurses (one percent).
Most of those involved are also those who serve in Ministry of Health (KKM) hospitals, which is 77 percent, while 16 percent in health clinics and another five percent in teaching hospitals.
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