Health Ministry to look at measures to increase number of nurses

PUTRAJAYA - The Health Ministry (MOH) is looking at ways to increase the number of nurses, including through its own training institutions and the private sector, said Deputy Health Minister Datuk Hanifah Hajar Taib.

Speaking to reporters after attending the 2026 National Level International Nurses Day Celebration here today, she said MOH is also considering training nurses in specialised care to meet the needs of an aging population.

"MOH is looking at ways to increase the number of nurses, whether through our own training institutions or the private sector. In fact, we are also trying to ensure that, in view of the aging society, nurses are encouraged to undergo specialised care training," said Hanifah Hajar.

She said the ministry is also trying to ensure nurses are exposed to specialised care during their training so that they are better prepared to handle the needs of an aging society and at the same time, MOH will try to speed up efforts to address the shortage of nurses.

Media previously reported that Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad acknowledged that the shortage of nurses is a legacy issue, linked to a past moratorium and the closure of several Health Ministry Training Institutes (ILKKM).

This has led to a current shortage of nurses, including those with post-basic specialisation as well as nurses in general, in both the public and private sectors.

In other developments, Hanifah said the Health Ministry will proactively continue to strengthen cooperation with medical facilities operated by the private sector and nursing education institutions in an effort to address the care needs of the elderly, including the lack of geriatric specialists in the country.

She said the collaboration was important as Malaysia was heading towards the status of an ageing nation with the need for geriatric services expected to continue to increase.

"MOH collaborates not only with government health facilities but also with private facilities in terms of educational institutions. Any organisation that can be involved to help strengthen what is there, (we) will implement it," she said.

She said existing expertise in the field would continue to be strengthened to help improve the quality of care for the elderly, especially in public health facilities.

"From the existing expertise, we will strengthen as much as possible. This is our effort to ensure that the responsibility is not only (located) under the government but also private hospitals. If we need to improve, we will work on it," she said.

The media today reported that Malaysia is currently facing a major challenge in providing healthcare to the elderly when the country only has 67 geriatric specialists to cater for the needs of approximately 4.1 million people aged 60 and above.

The situation sees the ratio of one specialist needing to cater to around 60,000 senior citizens, raising concerns about the country's health system's ability to cope with the increasing ageing population. - BERNAMA