MMA president Datuk Dr Thirunavukarasu Rajoo said the Ministry of Health (MoH) is already facing challenges with officers failing to report for duty in Sabah and Sarawak.

“The revised BIW has reduced allowances for newly appointed medical officers in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan by more than 60 per cent — from RM960 to RM360 monthly in some cases.

“This change is not just a number. It is a reflection of how we value the contributions of our doctors serving in these regions — regardless of whether they are posted to urban areas or rural districts.

“The reality is that these states face consistent structural challenges: higher cost of living, logistical limitations, stretched manpower and fewer training or advancement opportunities. These are challenges not limited to remote areas — they are embedded in the broader ecosystem of care across Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan,” he said in a statement on Friday.

According to Dr Thirunavukarasu, BIW was never meant as a bonus but as a form of acknowledgement — a modest support recognising the unique challenges in these territories.

Given this, he said cutting BIW sends a disheartening message to young doctors: that their commitment and sacrifices are less valued depending on when they were appointed.

He pointed out that doctors serving in these states make difficult sacrifices — leaving behind family support systems, enduring long hours and working in settings where the demand often outweighs the resources.

“Their service is vital to Malaysia’s healthcare equity, and it deserves to be acknowledged fairly,” he stressed.

Dr Thirunavukarasu said MMA had raised this issue at the highest levels, including with the Prime Minister and the relevant ministries, conveying clearly that the estimated cost of restoring BIW was around RM4.2 million annually.

This was based on a reasonable assumption of approximately 700 new medical officers posted to Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan each year, with a monthly shortfall of RM500 per officer under the revised structure.

In the context of national expenditure, he said this is a modest sum — especially when weighed against the billions lost each year through leakages, inefficiencies or mismanagement in other sectors.

He emphasised that this issue does not lie with the MoH, which continues to be a committed stakeholder in ensuring equitable service delivery.

“This policy change comes under the jurisdiction of the Public Service Department (JPA) and Ministry of Finance (MoF), and we urge these agencies to give urgent and empathetic consideration to this matter.”

As such, Dr Thirunavukarasu called for an immediate reinstatement of BIW at its original structure, across all eligible officers regardless of appointment date.

He said this is not a demand but call for fairness.

“For those who dedicate their lives to caring for others, fair compensation is not a luxury but a basic sign of respect.,” he said.

“When we take care of our healthcare workers, especially those who serve in challenging environments, we uphold not just their morale — we uphold our national dignity,” he added.

He added that Johor needs about 1,700 nurses for its existing healthcare facilities and new projects.

“The nursing category is at a worrying level for the full operation of the Pasir Gudang Hospital, as well as several other facilities that are and will be operating. All states face this same issue.

“It’s not like if we want nurses today, we can get them tomorrow. They have to undergo proper training and sit for the Nursing Board of Malaysia examinations, which is a long process,” he said when met after the fourth State Legislative Assembly sitting in Kota Iskandar today.

As such, he said a joint task force between the Johor government and the Ministry of Health (MOH) has been established to discuss various matters, including upgrading of facilities, preparations for the operation of new hospitals, state healthcare projects and the lack of human resources.

“Under this task force, we have provided detailed data to assist the ministry in determining the best method to increase the number of nurses sent to Johor,” he said, adding that 64 nurses have resigned for various reasons between January and August this year.

He also thanked nurses who continue to serve in the public healthcare system, while emphasising that the state government is constantly evaluating the best method to improve their welfare.

For the record, as of last month, the total number of positions in the state’s health sector was 29,731, with 4,648 vacancies, of which 2,547 positions were filled through the appointment of contract officers.

A pharmacist said oseltamivir syrup, which is commonly prescribed for children, and the tablet form for adults have been out of stock for the past two weeks.

“There’s usually a seasonal increase in demand for influenza antivirals every year, but this time the purchases are more significant.

“This may be due to greater public awareness, with more people seeking medical attention after showing symptoms, since a doctor’s prescription is required to purchase antiviral medication,” she said.

When asked about claims of price increases, the pharmacist dismissed them, saying the prices remain unchanged – RM165 for a 100ml syrup bottle and RM190 for a pck of 10 tablets.

Another pharmacy also reported running out of oseltamivir syrup nearly a week ago, with only adult tablets still available.

“Pharmacies don’t usually keep large stocks of the syrup. Despite the surge in influenza cases, prices remain stable.

“The cost varies depending on the brand and formulation.

“The original oseltamivir is priced at over RM100 for 10 tablets, while generic versions are available for less,” another pharmacist said.

The Health Ministry (MOH) recently confirmed a rise in influenza infections across the country, especially in educational institutions.

According to MOH’s Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARI) surveillance, the rate of patient consultations rose from 7.38 per cent to 9.22 per cent between Epidemiological Weeks (EW) 40 and 41 this year.

Cumulatively, more than 530 influenza clusters have been detected nationwide since the start of the year.

As of Oct 13, about 6,000 students were reported to have contracted the virus.

Education director-general Dr Mohd Azam Ahmad said several schools have been temporarily closed on the advice of district health offices to contain the spread of infection.

In an Utusan Malaysia report, health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad verified a circular making the rounds on social media regarding the relaxed entry requirements.

The circular said Malaysia was facing a critical shortage of nurses, which would have a negative impact on the healthcare system if not addressed.

“Yes, it is true… health director-general Dr Radzi Abu Hassan has informed me about the need for this (relaxed requirements),” said Dzulkefly.

“The matter was presented at a Malaysian Nursing Board meeting on Nov 28 last year, and the council members agreed to relax the entry requirements for the diploma in nursing programme for SPM graduates from five to three credits.”

The relaxed entry requirements will only apply to students in the 2025 and 2026 intakes.

Candidates were previously required to have five SPM credits, including for Bahasa Melayu, mathematics, and one science subject. They were also required to pass their English exam.

Under the new requirements, applicants will only need credits for Bahasa Melayu, mathematics, and one science subject, and a pass in two subjects including English.

Last May, Dzulkefly said the shortage of nurses at hospitals was projected to reach nearly 60% by 2030.

The International Council of Nurses recently called on the government to develop a decade-long plan with a focus on better wages, working conditions, safety, and career prospects in order to attract new nurses while retaining experienced staff.

The council’s chief executive, Howard Catton, told FMT last November that Malaysia’s shortage had been exacerbated by high-income nations hiring experienced nurses from Asia with better pay and working conditions.

The Malaysian Medical Council has seen a decline in the number of provisional registrations for nurses in recent years, from 6,147 students in 2017 to 3,867 students in 2021, 3,857 in 2022, and 3,247 in 2023.

By Malou Toft, Vice President Asia Pacific, Milestone Systems

Accessibility to healthcare is crucial to the community, yet globally the industry continues to struggle. The critical shortage of healthcare workers has resulted in a domino effect on the industry, leading to increasing pressure on the existing workforce, which is only exacerbated by future-planning needs for rapidly ageing populations. In the face of such global healthcare challenges, the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region finds itself at a critical juncture. The demand for accessible, high-quality healthcare has skyrocketed in recent years, and as the industry continues to face surges of COVID-19 cases amidst ongoing patient care needs, there is a critical need to explore sustainable, long-term solutions.

Technology has been vital in advancing different industries, and healthcare is no exception, with research1 indicating that digital health in Asia could create up to US$ 100 billion in value by 2025 across wellness and disease prevention, screening and diagnosis, as well as overall care delivery. As the rate of disruption and digital transformation in the healthcare industry accelerates, intelligent video solutions emerge as an area of technology that has the potential to help address current challenges, revolutionise modern healthcare, and unveil a more consumer-centric healthcare practice.

Addressing the manpower shortage

The global healthcare industry is expected to face a shortfall of 10 million healthcare workers by 2030 according to the World Health Organization, 2which is already evident in APAC where the doctor to patient ratio is much lower than the global average. 3 The rising demand for healthcare is further exacerbated by the ongoing ageing population challenge across the region.4Declining birth rates5 coupled with higher life expectancies have led to a rapidly ageing population. This rising demand for enhanced healthcare, and the shortage of healthcare providers has led to more pressure on existing workforces.

Intelligent video solutions can act as an impactful tool to address the burden of staffing shortages by helping with routine tasks such as patient monitoring. For example, Milestone Systems’ XProtect Hospital Assist intelligent video solution can help hospital staff observe multiple patients simultaneously and reduce the risk of disturbing them with routine check-ins.

By remotely observing multiple patients simultaneously and leveraging two-way audio communication, healthcare providers can extend their reach and provide timely interventions without the need for constant physical presence, allowing the medical staff to work more efficiently and provide high-quality patient care. Yet rather than replacing the invaluable human touch in patient care, intelligent video works to enhance meaningful interaction by maximising the reach of healthcare professionals.

Streamlining workflows, maximising efficiency, and enhancing patient care

Implementing intelligent video technology in healthcare systems can boost operational efficiency and reduce administrative burden. By enabling workers to reduce redundancies and prioritise essential tasks, intelligent video solutions help to streamline their workflows, which in turn lowers wait times for patients. Additionally, the alarm system incorporated in intelligent video technology improves reaction times to incidents, boosting the efficiency and timeliness of patient care.

Intelligent video solutions also play a crucial role in optimising resource allocation and management through data analytics. By tracking visitor movements while monitoring patient flow, occupancy rates, and staff distribution, workers can gather insights on workflows and identify bottlenecks to make data-driven decisions that boost security and optimise processes. By integrating with existing infrastructure while offering scalability and flexibility, intelligent video solutions also facilitate technology upgrades and automation. This ensures that facilities maintain maximum efficiency levels despite the flux in manpower and patient demand, thus saving time, cost, and upholding high care standards.

By combining real-time monitoring with artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics, intelligent video solutions also enable proactive care, going beyond basic monitoring. With built-in automatic fall detection technology and other algorithms, intelligent video can actively identify markers of distress and swiftly alert healthcare providers before an incident escalates, making immediate intervention at critical junctures possible. When critical observation is not needed, a privacy filter can be applied to video streams to blur out details of patients.

This streamlined, proactive approach to patient observation focuses on enhancing the effectiveness of healthcare delivery by limiting physical check-ins and making every patient interaction count. Fewer disruptions provide patients with more opportunities to rest, ultimately leading to better patient satisfaction.

Not a choice, but an obligation

As the APAC region continues to witness advancements in technology, utilising emerging technological solutions is no longer a matter of choice for the healthcare industry. The future of APAC healthcare relies heavily on its digitalisation journey, and modern video technology plays a key role in this.

Through the integration of AI and data analytics, intelligent video technology represents vast untapped potential to help address the industry’s critical challenges, streamline operations, and ultimately propel the industry into a new era of modernity – one where efficient, accessible, and high-quality patient care becomes the norm. With intelligent video technology paving the way, the APAC healthcare industry is positioned to thrive and meet the evolving needs of patients and providers alike.

REFERENCES:
1. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare/our-insights/the-future-of-healthcare-in-asia-digital-health-ecosystems
2. https://www.who.int/health-topics/health-workforce#tab=tab_1
3. https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/c7467f62-en/index.html?itemId=/content/publication/c7467f62-en
4. https://www.adb.org/what-we-do/topics/social-development/aging-asia#:~:text=Population%20Aging%20in%20Asia%20and%20the%20
Pacific&text=By%202050%2C%20one%20in%20four,close%20to%201.3%20billion%20people.
5. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/06/birthrates-declining-globally-why-matters/

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