KUALA LUMPUR, July 15 -- More than 3,500 medical officers left Malaysia's public healthcare sector over a three-year period ending in 2025, adding pressure on a state medical system already struggling with workforce shortages and staff burnout.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad yesterday said in a written parliamentary reply exactly 3,511 medical officers resigned from the Ministry of Health between 2023 and 2025.

The figure comprised 1,283 resignations in 2023, 1,153 in 2024 and 1,075 in 2025.

Dzulkefly conceded that the ministry lacks the legal framework to prevent doctors from migrating to private healthcare providers or accepting positions overseas. Instead, the administration has leaned heavily on financial carrots and fa...