M'SIAN HEALTH MINISTER: ONLY 53 PCT OF DOCTOR'S POSTS FILLED BY LOCALS

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 8 (Bernama) -- Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai said only 53
percent of doctor's posts in Malaysia were filled by locals, while the remaining
by foreign doctors on contract basis.

This year alone, the government had employed 700 foreign doctors, he told
reporters after attending University Tunku Abdul Rahman (Utar) convocation
ceremony here Saturday.

As such, he expressed the need for more local institutions of higher
learning to introduce medical courses to meet the country's demand for more
doctors.

Liow said the current ratio between doctors and the population was 1:1,145
people and it was hoped that it would be reduced to 1:600 people by 2020.

He said the shortage of medical doctors and experts also resulted in many of
the facilities in hospitals could not be used to the optimum, like beds,
operation theatres and the intensive care units.

Liow said efforts were being made by the ministry to provide more
opportunities for trainee doctors to do their housemanship in government
hospitals.

Currently, only 38 of the 135 government hospitals nationwide provide places
for housemanship.
-- BERNAMA