Kuala lumpur: The Johor government has expressed support for a proposal to collaborate with Indonesia to alleviate the shortage of nurses in Malaysia's medical sector, especially in Johor.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, State Health and Environment Committee chairman Ling Tian Soon emphasized that this initiative could address staffing issues in both public and private hospitals. However, Ling stressed the importance of establishing a clear standard operating procedure (SOP) for recruiting Indonesian healthcare workers. He highlighted that foreign nurses must undergo several processes, such as obtaining approval from the Malaysian Nursing Board and securing a work permit from the Ministry of Human Resources.

Ling's comments came in response to a Bernama report regarding the proposal from the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in Johor Bahru. This proposal suggests that Indonesian nurses could help mitigate the staffing crisis in Malaysia's healthcare sector. Consul General Sigit S. Widiyanto pointed out that approximately 70 percent of international patients in Malaysia hail from Indonesia, making this a beneficial arrangement for both countries.

Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi previously noted the severe shortage of healthcare personnel in Johor Bahru's major hospitals, where a single nurse might be responsible for 10 to 14 patients per shift, far exceeding the ideal patient-to-nurse ratio of 1:6 or a maximum of 1:8.