JPA Approves 66,312 New Healthcare Posts Worth RM6.7 Billion

PUTRAJAYA, July 18 — The Public Service Department (JPA) has approved the creation of 66,312 new non-trade-off positions for the Ministry of Health (MOH), carrying a financial implication of RM6.7 billion aimed at systematically reinforcing the national public healthcare architecture.

In a comprehensive statement released today, the JPA detailed that 53,516 of these new non-trade-off posts were explicitly created to support the operation of brand-new healthcare facilities, execute critical upgrade projects at existing premises, and heighten overall public healthcare delivery at a cost of RM4.5 billion.

Concurrently, the federal administration greenlit 12,796 permanent positions across three anchor MOH schemes—Medical Officers, Dental Officers, and Pharmacists—spanning from 2022 until June 30 this year, accounting for a RM2.2 billion financial implication.

Looking forward, the JPA, in alignment with the Ministry of Finance, is actively reviewing an additional application to establish 13,000 new non-trade-off posts to operationalize 256 newly built and upgraded healthcare facilities, carrying an estimated budget of RM1.25 billion.

“These facts prove that efforts to strengthen the public healthcare system remain a government priority. The creation of new posts, strengthening the career pathways of healthcare personnel and the development of healthcare facilities are being implemented on an ongoing basis to ensure that the public continues to receive quality healthcare services,” the JPA stated.

Citing data from the Malaysia Health Indicators 2025 published by the MOH, the department highlighted that the national medical officers-to-population ratio has reached approximately 1:403, effectively meeting the benchmark targeted for 2026.

“However, this achievement does not mean that all healthcare facilities have the same level of human resource capacity. There are significant disparities in the distribution of Medical Officers across states and federal territories. For example, the medical officers-to-population ratio in the Federal Territory of Putrajaya is about 1:19, far exceeding the national average,” the department observed.

The JPA noted that these insights shift the core administrative challenge away from merely generating new positions. Instead, the primary focus must pivot toward the strategic distribution, deployment, and optimal utilization of human assets to ensure every hospital and clinic retains the operational capacity required to serve the public.

Furthermore, a recent JPA audit exposed rooms for improvement within the management of Training Reserve Posts (JSL). Specifically, the department emphasized the critical need to accelerate the dispersal process for Medical Officers who have completed specialist training, enabling them to be redeployed to active hospitals within a shorter timeframe.

“This move is crucial to ensure that Training Reserve Posts can be vacated and reused by other eligible Medical Officers pursuing specialist training. Based on current records, the redeployment process for Medical Officers after completing specialist training takes between three and 12 months before they can be assigned to healthcare facilities. This period has an implication on the utilisation cycle of Training Reserve Posts, as the posts cannot be immediately reused by other Medical Officers awaiting opportunities to undergo specialist training,” the statement explained.

Compounding this bottleneck, the Graduate On Time (GOT) rate for Medical Officers undergoing specialist training currently hovers at roughly 46 per cent.

Consequently, the JPA asserted that candidate selection protocols, training implementation monitoring, and JSL post management must be structurally reinforced to ensure selected officers are fully capable of completing their training within the designated window.

“This will help improve the GOT rate, optimise the use of Training Reserve Posts, the specialist training pathway for new Medical Officers and increase the availability of specialists in hospitals and healthcare facilities,” the JPA concluded, reiterating its commitment to working alongside the MOH to ensure the public healthcare framework remains sustainable and competitive.

-NMT