Not enough specialised nurses to go around

KUALA LUMPUR: The shortage of nurses in Malaysia has caused several wards and intensive care units in newer hospitals to remain closed. Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said among the hospitals affected included those in Serdang, Sungai Buloh, Ampang and Sungai Petani. “Many new hospitals are not able to open wards, intensive care units and operating theatres, which need a lot of post basic nurses,” he told reporters after opening the 2nd Universiti Malaya Medical Centre Nursing Congress 2008 yesterday. He said that as of March this year, only 85.9% of the 42,476 staff nurse posts had been filled, while 6,004 posts remained vacant. “The need for specialised nurses is growing with increasing specialisation of medical practice,” he said. There were 11 areas which lacked nurses with post basic training. These included... [read full story]