GEORGE TOWN, April 18 — Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow has urged the Health Ministry to ensure dental and oral health services are accessible in rural areas through Klinik Kesihatan and Klinik Desa.
He said the current distribution of dentists remains uneven, particularly in rural and under-served communities.
“We still see a shortage of dentists in many rural and under-served regions,” he said in his opening speech at the 10th International College of Dentists Section XV and World Stomatology Institute (WSI) International Conference and Induction Ceremony.
Chow noted that Malaysia produces more than 1,000 dental graduates each year, but many young dentists struggle to secure placements — especially in the public sector — due to the imbalanced distribution.
“On top of that, we are losing talent to other countries,” he said.
He added that while the private sector can serve the urban population, rural communities require improved access to dental clinics.
“The ministry should address this concern so we hope the ministry can ensure dental and oral health services are make available to all in both urban centres and rural areas through Klinik Kesihatan and Klinik Desa,” he said.
Chow stressed that the issue is not about manpower but structural shortcomings.
“Our national focus on STEM has for too long leaned heavily toward engineering and IT,” he said.
“And while those fields are important, healthcare sciences — especially dentistry and medicine — deserve just as much support, innovation and investment,” he added.
He said the government must rebalance its priorities if the country is serious about building a resilient, future-ready healthcare system.
