Last week, Armizan Mohd Ali, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for Sabah, Sarawak Affairs and Special Duties, said that the reason JPA had dropped scholarships in medicine earlier this year was because of a projected oversupply of medical officers in a few years. Now, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has said that he’s discussed the matter with JPA and that these scholarships will continue to be offered. But the question remains: what exactly is our healthcare system struggling with, and are we doing enough to address deep-seated problems beyond offering scholarships for aspiring healthcare workers?

We discuss this with Prof Dato’ Dr Syed Mohamed Aljunid, professor in health economics, policy and management, as well as the president of the Malaysian Health Economic Association.

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