The Health Ministry (MOH) said it has approved 359 transfer appeals by medical officers nationwide.
Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said the remaining bids will be processed according to vacancies.
“If an appeal has merit and there is a vacancy in the area they applied for, we will try to facilitate the request.
“But at the moment, we have to pause to make sure they do their job first, because their service as doctors and civil servants must continue,” she told reporters after launching the National Regulatory Conference 2023 organised by the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Division (NPRA) and Malaysian Pharmacy Association here today.
Last month, Dr Zaliha said the ministry received 1,834 transfer appeals from medical officers, citing reasons such as the pursuit of specialist studies and serious family problems.
In her speech, Dr Zaliha said NPRA is looking into adopting an agile regulatory framework that can quickly adapt not only to scientific advancements and new pharmaceutical technologies, but also to emerging health threats.
She said this involves flexible approval pathways, expedited reviews for urgent medical needs, and an openness towards adaptive clinical trial designs.
“In response to resource limitations, NPRA is progressing from conventional and routine practices to a risk-based approach for both pre-market authorisation and post-market surveillance activities.
“It is high time for a structural or organisational reform to be considered for a more effective and efficient regulatory delivery system that will ultimately benefit public health and support the growth of a globally recognised pharmaceutical industry for the country,” she said.
Dr Zaliha said in 2019, the pharmaceutical industry market value and volume were reported at RM 9.18 billion and 309 million units, respectively, and that it is obvious the sector plays a critical role in the economic progress of the country and the growth of the healthcare system.
In ensuring the pharmaceutical industry can continue to make a significant and positive impact on local and global health outcomes, Dr Zaliha said she is confident today’s conference can offer an excellent opportunity for knowledge exchange and discussion on regulatory reforms.
The conference, themed Regulatory Agility: Navigating Winds of Change, was attended by 630 delegates from the government, academia, associations, and private sector. — Bernama