PUTRAJAYA, July 6 — The Health Ministry (MOH) targets to offer permanent posts to all housemen immediately upon completing their training by 2028, said Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.

In his social media posting today, he said the target was part of the ministry’s ongoing reform agenda through the Inter-Ministerial Joint Task Force (IMJTF).

“By 2028, MOH targets to offer permanent posts to all housemen immediately upon completing their training. A true ‘whole-of-government’ approach at work!

“IMJTF is officially yielding results in tackling our perennial HR issues, through the ongoing reform agenda. We hear your concerns and we are actively closing the gaps. This year alone, 4,500 contract medical officers will be absorbed into permanent roles, alongside 800 new positions approved annually,” he said.

For the record, Dzulkefly said there is no recruitment freeze even with the operating expenditure budget realignment.

“We are on track to fill more than 18,000 vacancies across all our service schemes in 2026!

“While we push for better working conditions to combat burnout, replacing our medical specialists remains a complex, long-term hurdle,” he said.

Dzulkefly said he had tasked the new deputy director-general of Health (Medical) to strictly focus on overhauling and resolving issues surrounding the production of local medical specialists.

​”Whether it involves local Master’s programmes or the Parallel Pathway, we must secure a sustainable, world-class training ecosystem for our healthcare professionals.

​”We are fixing the system to ensure it truly dignifies, especially, our young doctors,” he said. — Bernama