KUALA LUMPUR: Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad has instructed ministry's officials at the federal and state levels to study the heavy workload complaints at public hospitals.
He said he had also instructed a re-evaluation on the deployment of graduate medical officers (PPS).
"The country at one time had about six to seven thousand medical graduates per year. Now, the number has dropped to about 3,000 per year, causing the number of PPS to decrease.
"Hence, they are now overwhelmed with heavy workload and a lack of manpower," he said in a posting on X.
Dr Dzulkefly said he and the ministry's top leadership were monitoring the situation closely, and they were also aware of the plight of the country's healthcare workers.
He was responding to a post on X by Maryam Sophea, who asked him if the ministry would increase the number of PPS in district hospitals.
"We're working (ourselves) to death, with the PPS resigning one by one. Handling the ward for one week (straight) can cause mental health problems."
Another X user Anuar Aziz suggested an independent evaluation on the actual situation, as well as offering solutions to the issue.
Suraya Aziz, in her post, said medical officers were a crucial group in the community and their welfare should be safeguarded.
"The government should extend all the support to ensure their welfare is always protected and for them to carry out their duties effectively. They are the pulse of the country's healthcare," she said.
Overwhelming workload at public hospitals had been a long-drawn issue in the country, with low pay rates compounding the matter.
Government doctors were reportedly paid RM9 per hour in overtime on weekends. Their on-call rates are RM200 for more than 15 consecutive hours of work on working days and RM220 on weekends and public holidays.