1,236 graduands to be appointed graduate medical officers -Dr Dzulkefly

KUALA LUMPUR, April 11 (Bernama)  -- A total of 1,236 medical graduands will be appointed as graduate medical officers (PPS) this month as part of the government’s effort to provide housemanship training for medical graduates, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said another 3,195 would be appointed as PPS this year and this would be implemented in stages.

He said this in reply to a question from Datuk Shabudin Yahaya (PH-Tasek Gelugor) who wanted to know the number of medical graduates are who were still waiting for houseman placements and what were the reasons for the delay.

Dr Dzulkefly said 90 per cent of the housemen training slots have been taken up and the positions were being filled every two months.

"Only about 70 per cent of the PPS complete their housemanship stint within two years while 32.9 per cent take a longer time thus causing a backlog in the number of available training slots,” he said.

Apart from that Dr Dzulkefly said the ministry had increased the number of teaching hospitals and had included health clinics as training centres to offer more slots for housemanship.

"The moratorium on new medical courses at higher learning institutions in the country will continue to be imposed until 2021," he added.

 -- BERNAMA