Geronimo! (That was a Doctor Who reference by the way)

According to Health Minister Dr Adham Baba, Malaysia’s doctor-population ratio has surpassed and is better than one doctor for every 500 people recommended by World Health Organization (WHO) with currently 71,041 medical doctors working in both public and private sectors, making a ratio of one doctor for every 454 people.

He shared the news in response to Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad (PH-Kuala Selangor) during question time at the Dewan Rakyat sitting today after he wanted to know the number of doctors serving with MOH, the ratio of doctor-population in Malaysia and whether Malaysia intends to increase the number of doctors so that it would be ideal in line with the recommendation of the WHO.

As reported by Bernama, Dr. Adham said 73% of the total number of doctors in the country are registered medical doctors and currently serving with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and further elaborated there were 11,059 dentists in Malaysia as of June 30, making a ratio of one dentist per 2,963 people, with 6,530 of them serving with the MOH.

“For pharmacists, there are 19,341 of them working in both public and private sectors, with a ratio of one pharmacist for every 1,694 people. Of the total, 11,616 were registered and serving with the MOH.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Adham explained that the WHO has never set the ratio of healthcare worker-population for any country. However, in 2016, through the Health Workforce Requirement for Universal Health Coverage and Sustainable Development Goal Report, the WHO recommended a ratio of at least one health care worker for every 225 individuals.

Dr Adham added that Malaysia has so far achieved a ratio of one healthcare worker (including trained doctors and nurses) for every 186 people, surpassing WHO’s recommendation to obtain universal health coverage. This is big news.

The minister also said the MOH is always taking steps to increase the capacity of medical , dental and pharmacy graduates to undergo mandatory training and services.