KUALA LUMPUR – A total of 10,844 professionals, including expatriates and Malaysians abroad, have applied to return to Malaysia via TalentCorp’s Returning Expert Programme (REP), according to Human Resources Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong (Bukit Mertajam-PH).
Sim said out of the total number, 6,840 applications were approved, which resulted in 4,488 individuals returning to Malaysia.
“Out of these 4,488 individuals, 483 of them are health professionals,” he said in a written reply to MP Datuk Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik (Balik Pulau-PH).
Bakhtiar had asked Sim in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday about the government’s efforts to bring home local medical experts who are currently residing abroad.
Sim further said that these data were obtained from TalentCorp, which is responsible for REP.
TalentCorp is a government agency that nurtures and retains the best and the right talent to enable Malaysia to reach its economic aspirations.
“TalentCorp also collaborates with MatchSync and the Health Ministry in organising events that bridge Malaysian doctors and medical specialists who are working abroad.
“In December last year, this collaboration saw a sharing session attended by 47 professionals, where their discussions centred around medical fields and how to become a specialist if they decided to return to the country.
“Apart from this, TalentCorp also assists individuals with medical backgrounds to secure employment in the country as a way to facilitate their return by connecting these individuals with private hospitals.”
He also said that medical professionals who are looking to return to Malaysia must be registered under the Health Ministry’s agencies, such as the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) and the National Specialist Register (NSR).
“(Having a pool of) diversified talent is important to fill the needs of a rapidly growing industry in Malaysia, as part of the government’s effort to develop the country,” he added. – February 29, 2024