Health Minister: New initiatives to help housemen

KUALA LUMPUR, July 19 (Bernama) -- The Health Ministry will implement new initiatives that will shorten the waiting period for medical graduates to undergo graduate training (housemanship).

Its minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said that the ministry will also increase the number of  training hospitals for them saying that plans are already underway to turn eight existing hospitals for training housemen in the next two years.

It also was looking into the possibility of allowing high performing housemen to complete their housemanship ahead of the stipulated two-year period, he said in response to an oral question from Chang Lih Kang (PH-Tanjung Malim) at the Dewan Rakyat today.

Currently, the waiting period for medical graduates to undergo housemanship at government hospitals is between eight and 11 months, after they are  registered with the Malaysian Medical Council and the Public Service Commission.

He added that  67.1% of medical graduates managed to complete their housemanship in two years while 32.9% of  them took longer because of personal factors and competence.

"This has resulted in a backlog as the existing training slots took longer to clear," he said.

Dr Dzulkefly also said that the priority would also be given to medical graduates on contract who successfully completed their housemanship within two years, so that they could be absorbed as permanent medical officers.

It was an incentive which was meant to inspire existing housemen to improve their performance and complete their training within the  prescribed two-year period, he said.

Touching on the issue of absorbing medical graduates into the civil service, Dr Dzulkefly said the ministry had changed its stand. From December 2016, all medical graduates were appointed on contract.

"Through this approach, all medical graduates can be appointed without being subject to permanent vacancies. As of June 25, 2018, a total of 9,058 medical graduates have been contracted for two years," he said.

-- BERNAMA