PUTRAJAYA, Oct 1 — Malaysia is aiming to improve the retention of healthcare workers by introducing a new digital system that allows them to easily swap postings with others in the same service scheme.
The Health Ministry’s Mutual Posting Swap Platform, known as the Suka Sama Suka Posting Swap Platform, will begin operations this month.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the platform, developed in-house, has undergone multiple stress tests and will first be rolled out to nurses, The Star reported.
He described the launch as a significant milestone and said the platform would serve as a “real testbed” for healthcare staff transfers.
The system enables healthcare workers to directly exchange postings without the involvement of the Human Resources Division.
Users can log in, search for others under the same scheme who wish to transfer, and refine results based on state, facility and position before being matched.
Only those with the same employment status and medical specialisation can swap, and once approved, applications cannot be cancelled, with new applications allowed only after two years.
Malayan Nurses Union president Saaidah Athman said the system will make transfers more transparent by showing how many people applied for the same placement and will ease the burden on staff.
Malaysia has suffered a significant loss of healthcare workers in recent years, characterised by a substantial brain drain of doctors, nurses, and specialists.
Between 2022 and 2024, 705 doctors and 1,394 nurses with over five years of experience resigned.
The shortage of nurses is also acute, with registrations dropping from over 6,000 in 2017 to just over 3,200 in 2023, and projections indicate a potential 60 per cent nursing shortage by 2030.
