Health Services Commission Needed To Strengthen Public Healthcare Workforce - Galen Centre

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 14 (Bernama) -- The Federal Government has been urged to establish a Health Services Commission to recruit, retain and deploy public-sector healthcare workers and support their welfare, remuneration and career development, said the Galen Centre for Health & Social Policy.

Its chief executive officer Azrul Mohd Khalib said Budget 2027 must include a commitment to establish the commission as part of urgent and meaningful healthcare reform.

“The goal is simple: raise human resource management in the public healthcare sector as close as possible to the standards which we would reasonably expect from a responsible private-sector employer. It is neither impossible nor unreasonable.

"The current arrangement of being managed under the Public Services Department and Public Service Commission is no longer fit for purpose. Public healthcare workers should have their own Service Commission," he said in a statement here today.

Azrul said the tragic Flying Doctor Service (FDS) helicopter crash involving a Ministry of Health (MOH) team at Long Lellang, Sarawak, must serve as a turning point in safeguarding the welfare, safety and working conditions of public healthcare workers.

Azrul said doctors, nurses, assistant medical officers, pharmacists, allied health professionals and other healthcare workers should not have to endure unnecessary hardship, unsafe working environments or inadequate welfare support simply because they had chosen to serve in the public sector.

Following the tragedy, Azrul said increasing numbers of public healthcare workers had taken to sociali  media to highlight concerns over inadequate accommodation, difficult and unreasonable transfers and postings, financial pressures, excessive workloads, unsafe working environments, inadequate allowances and poor welfare support.

He said the concerns should not be dismissed as complaints from workers unwilling to make sacrifices, as many had already made significant sacrifices by working long hours, accepting difficult postings, spending time away from their families and shouldering responsibilities that directly affected patients' lives and safety.

He said the commission should oversee workforce planning, recruitment and permanent appointments, deployment and transfers, remuneration and allowances, as well as occupational safety and health.

It should also cover staff accommodation and welfare, insurance protection for hazardous duties, grievance mechanisms, career progression, specialist and leadership pathways, as well as incentives for service in rural, remote and underserved areas.

Azrul said Malaysia is already facing shortages, resignations, declining morale and burnout, adding that clinical staffing could not be managed like ordinary administrative postings as vacancies directly affected patient load, waiting times, safety and service availability.

-- BERNAMA