KUALA LUMPUR — The Health Ministry is targeting the absorption of all medical graduates into permanent positions upon completion of their housemanship by 2028, as part of ongoing structural reforms under the Inter-Ministerial Joint Task Force (IMJTF).
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the initiative forms part of a broader “whole-of-government” approach to addressing long-standing human resource challenges in the public healthcare system, Bernama reported.
In a social media post, he said the reform efforts were beginning to yield results.
“By 2028, the Health Ministry is targeting to offer permanent positions to all medical officers upon completion of their training. This is the true whole-of-government approach.
“The IMJTF is now beginning to show results in addressing human resource issues that have persisted for a long time through the ongoing reform agenda. We hear your concerns and are actively closing the gaps that exist. This year alone, 4,500 contract medical officers will be absorbed into permanent positions, in addition to 800 new posts approved annually,” he said.
Dzulkefly stressed that there is no hiring freeze in place, despite adjustments to operational expenditure allocations.
He said Malaysia is on track to fill more than 18,000 vacancies across all ministry service schemes in 2026.
“We are on track to fill more than 18,000 vacancies across all service schemes in the ministry throughout 2026.
“We are working hard to address severe fatigue or burnout by improving the working environment, but replacing medical specialists remains a complex challenge that requires long-term solutions,” he said.
Dzulkefly added that newly appointed Deputy Director-General of Health (Medical), Datuk Dr Mohd Azman Yacob, has been tasked with focusing fully on structural reforms to develop local medical specialists.
“Whether through local master’s programmes or the parallel pathway, we must ensure a sustainable and world-class training ecosystem for our healthcare professionals.
“We are improving the system to ensure it truly uplifts the profession, especially our young doctors,” he said. — July 6, 2026