KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 15 — Approximately 150 specialist doctors quit the civil service yearly, the Health Ministry revealed today, adding that the resignations are a huge loss to the ministry.

"To date there are over 400 specialist graduates every year but those who resigned every year are about 150 specialists, per year. That is a large number,” deputy health minister Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya told the Dewan Rakyat.

Dr Hilmi was responding to a supplementary question from Lenggong MP Datuk Dr Shamsul Anuar Nasarah, who asked the Health Ministry to state the number of resignations involving medical specialists, and the steps taken by the ministry to address the problem.

"According to the statistics I have, this year, we can see that  till September there are 128 specialist doctors resigning, compared to previously, last year around 124 people. There is an increment.

"Government hospitals now have 4,474 specialist doctors, if according to the data till September. Which means it is still not enough to reach the necessary status,” Shamsul Anuar said in tabling his question.

He also asked the ministry to state its efforts in addressing the lack of specialist doctors in government hospitals in rural areas.

Dr Hilmi responded saying that the annual resignations have left a number of vacancies for government specialist doctors, but the ministry has already extended the minimum service period for doctors in rural areas form six months to one year to cater to the rural folk better.

He said that doctors who are sent to Sabah and Sarawak are also given at least eight types of incentives and allowance and doctors who conduct elective surgeries on weekends receive RM200 per hour.

Bintulu MP Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing meanwhile, alleged that the large resignations of specialist doctors are due to heavy bureaucracy in the civil service.

"Bureaucracy is not a small issue. In the government it’s a big issue.

"Even if you want a promotion, there is bureaucracy there. Biasness. This is why specialist doctors and doctors, they are fed up and give up their jobs,” Tiong told the Dewan Rakyat.

Tiong raised his point as a supplementary question to Shamsul Anuar’s who had initially asked the Health Ministry to state the statistics of medical graduates from 201-2016, and the actions taken by the ministry to address the shortage of specialist doctors throughout the country.