New medical courses banned for the next 6 years

Due to the increase in housemen in local hospitals, the moratorium on the launch of new medical courses in local universities will be extended beyond April next year to five more years.  

In May 2011, the government imposed a moratorium due to the drastic increase of medical graduates.

According to Health Minister S Subramanian, the ministry is working with the Education Ministry in preparing a cabinet memorandum seeking the extension. In addition, the two ministries are planning to tighten qualifications for entry into existing medical programmes.

• The average waiting time to be posted as housemen is about six months but it can be longer for the more popular postings in urban hospitals.
• Malaysia has 45 training hospitals, most of which have varying degrees of waiting periods except for hospitals in Sabah, Sarawak, Kelantan and Terengganu.
• The ratio of housemen to patients is 1:4 compared to 10:14 in 2011.