By AUDREY EDWARDS
The Star, 26th July 2008
KUALA LUMPUR: The shortage of nurses in Malaysia has caused several wards and intensive care units in newer hospitals to remain closed.
Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said among the hospitals affected included those in Serdang, Sungai Buloh, Ampang and Sungai Petani.
“Many new hospitals are not able to open wards, intensive care units and operating theatres, which need a lot of post basic nurses,” he told reporters after opening the 2nd Universiti Malaya Medical Centre Nursing Congress 2008 yesterday.
He said that as of March this year, only 85.9% of the 42,476 staff nurse posts had been filled, while 6,004 posts remained vacant.
“The need for specialised nurses is growing with increasing specialisation of medical practice,” he said.
There were 11 areas which lacked nurses with post basic training. These included intensive care, coronary care, neo-natal care, paediatric care and emergency and traumatology, he said.
Only between 30% and 40% of nurses working in the 11 areas have been given the necessary post-basic training.
In addition to this, there are also new specialist nursing areas like HIV counselling, genetic counselling and neuro-radiology intervention.
Liow added that 27 nurses from India would arrive next month following the Cabinet’s approval last year to recruit 1,300 nurses from Asean and Commonwealth countries over a period of three years.
There are currently 73,613 nurses of all categories and grades in Malaysia where 78% worked with the ministry and the rest were in the private and non-ministry sectors.
Training is being done at 17 nursing colleges under the ministry, producing about 3,500 diploma nurses yearly while private colleges have also been roped in to help.
Asked about investigations against the doctor who conducted the botched cosmetic surgery on former Labuan MP Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman’s wife Datin Fatimah Wan Chik who is now in a coma, Liow said he was waiting for the report to be presented to him.
Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said among the hospitals affected included those in Serdang, Sungai Buloh, Ampang and Sungai Petani.
“Many new hospitals are not able to open wards, intensive care units and operating theatres, which need a lot of post basic nurses,” he told reporters after opening the 2nd Universiti Malaya Medical Centre Nursing Congress 2008 yesterday.
He said that as of March this year, only 85.9% of the 42,476 staff nurse posts had been filled, while 6,004 posts remained vacant.
“The need for specialised nurses is growing with increasing specialisation of medical practice,” he said.
There were 11 areas which lacked nurses with post basic training. These included intensive care, coronary care, neo-natal care, paediatric care and emergency and traumatology, he said.
Only between 30% and 40% of nurses working in the 11 areas have been given the necessary post-basic training.
In addition to this, there are also new specialist nursing areas like HIV counselling, genetic counselling and neuro-radiology intervention.
Liow added that 27 nurses from India would arrive next month following the Cabinet’s approval last year to recruit 1,300 nurses from Asean and Commonwealth countries over a period of three years.
There are currently 73,613 nurses of all categories and grades in Malaysia where 78% worked with the ministry and the rest were in the private and non-ministry sectors.
Training is being done at 17 nursing colleges under the ministry, producing about 3,500 diploma nurses yearly while private colleges have also been roped in to help.
Asked about investigations against the doctor who conducted the botched cosmetic surgery on former Labuan MP Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman’s wife Datin Fatimah Wan Chik who is now in a coma, Liow said he was waiting for the report to be presented to him.
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