Rahayu Mahzam on easing workload of nurses and care staff

The attrition rates for local nurses have increased slightly over the last five years. The rate for local public sector nurses increased from six per cent in 2017 to 6.3 per cent in 2018, seven per cent in 2019, then dropped to 5.4 per cent in 2020, before increasing to 7.4 per cent in 2021. For foreign public sector nurses, international competition has been more intense. The attrition rate rose more significantly, at 8.2 per cent in 2017, 9.1 per cent in 2018, 9.4 per cent in 2019, seven per cent in 2020 and 14.8 per cent in 2021. Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Health Rahayu Mahzam shared these statistics in reply to an MP's questions in Parliament on Tuesday (Aug 2). She said the key issue is to retain the services of nurses. These include reviewing the scope of work to enable them to focus on patient care. She said even as the Government prioritises the well-being of nurses, it is working to ensure that there are sufficient nurses on the ground as they continue to face pressures from COVID-19 and an ageing population.