JOHOR BARU: Malaysian nurses are being enticed by better offers from abroad, causing a shortage in both public and private hospitals in Johor.

       State Health and Unity Committee chairman Ling Tian Soon said there are presently 12,533 nurses in Johor, with 8,777 of them in public hospitals.

       “I have visited public and private hospitals in Johor, with all of them voicing their concern over a lack of nurses.

       “This issue is not only affecting Johor, but other states as well," he said.

       In the case of Johor, its proximity to Singapore has caused many local nurses to take up better offers in the city-state, said Ling.

       “I have a friend whose pay as a nurse in Singapore equals that of a specialist doctor in Malaysia due to the currency exchange rate,” he added.

       Ling said this when met after officiating the state-level International Nurses Day celebration at Persada Convention Centre here on Thursday (May 19).

       He said with the weakened ringgit, there is a possibility that Malaysian nurses will continue to be drawn to work abroad to find better pay.

       “Not only nurses, but we also see our local doctors migrating to other countries after receiving good offers,” he said.

       However, despite the migration of medical staff overseas, Ling said the shortage is still not at a critical stage, but it should be addressed so that health services in Johor are not affected.

       He said at present, the ratio is one nurse to 297 patients when ideally, it should be 200 patients.

       “So far, nursing vacancies in the state have been 98% filled, but it is still not enough as health programmes and services are increasing apart from new hospitals needing nurses too," he said.

       Ling said he will bring up the matter with Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin soon as Johor needs between 15,000 and 18,000 nurses.

       He proposed that the government look into improving deals for nurses and doctors to maintain local talent.

       "When I meet Khairy, I'd also like to propose that the government offer university students to take nursing courses before absorbing them in the health services sector in the state," he said.