THE Health Ministry (MOH) assures it will send more doctors and nurses to Johor, which is experiencing a lack of medical staff, especially in the state’s two main hospitals, said Johor Health and Unity Committee chairman Ling Tian Soon.

He said the MOH announced this after its visits to Sultanah Aminah Hospital (HSA) and Sultan Ismail Hospital (HSI) yesterday.

He said Johor is facing a shortage of about 2,800 medical staff, especially doctors and nurses, and this caused operations of two wards at the HSI to be stopped completely.

“Discussions with the MOH were very positive… It will try to help Johor, especially both these hospitals (HSA and HSI), to increase the number of medical professionals, especially doctors and nurses,” he told a press conference after attending the state-level International Nurses Day Celebration 2023 at Persada International Convention Centre Johor today.

“The shortage caused two wards at HSI to cease operating. The Health Ministry assured Johor it will send enough doctors and nurses to ensure the two wards can operate,” he said.

Also present at the event was Johor Menteri Besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi.

Onn Hafiz said Johor is committed to solving this issue to ensure the well-being of the people in the state.

He said it is a legacy issue he wants to resolve, besides congestion at the country’s gateways and road repairs.

Yesterday, Onn Hafiz in a Facebook post urged the federal government to assist in solving the medical staff shortage in Johor as soon as possible.

Earlier, in conjunction with International Nurses Day Celebration 2023, Onn Hafiz announced an allocation amounting to RM200,000 to benefit more than 8,000 nurses in the state. – Bernama, June 1, 2023.