Commenting on a recent report in which health minister Dr Adham Baba said Malaysia’s 400 psychiatrists represented only a tenth of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended psychiatrist-to-patient ratio of one per 10,000, two psychiatrists told FMT the shortage is a long-standing issue which has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Consultant psychiatrist Dr Philip George noted that psychiatry is wrought with “a lot of prejudice, taboo and stigma”, both from family members and the healthcare fraternity at large.
“It’s not easy to find those who are really interested in taking up psychiatry,” said George, who heads the psychiatry department at the International Medical University.
“There are those who think that surgeons are at the top, and when you go down the rung, there are psychiatrists. It’s a perception thing.
“The remuneration is much lower than in other fields (and) psychiatry takes a lot out of the individual as well. It’s a stressful occupation in some ways,” he said, noting studies in the US which pointed to high suicide rates among psychiatrists.
Pointing out the lack of emphasis on psychiatry at the undergraduate level in the past, George explained that the number of weeks spent on psychiatry are “a lot less” than in other fields.
Calling for psychiatry to be made mandatory for internship postings – which will make a “big difference” in terms of attracting interest in the field – George hoped to see more opportunities and better remuneration so as not to lose talent.
Malaysian Psychiatric Association president Dr Hazli Zakaria agreed with George, adding that if one were to examine the specialities that generate better financial rewards, psychiatry is “not as attractive”.
Hazli said that due to a lack of manpower, psychiatrists in Malaysia have had to emphasise treatment as opposed to recovery, rehabilitation and mental health awareness.
“The idea is that if we can focus our efforts on early identification, we can reduce the number of people having serious mental health issues,” he said.
“But due to stigma (about mental health) and the lack of resources, we are not able to provide optimal care.”
He said one in four people in the world would be affected by mental disorders at some point in their lives, and that there are already a “very high” number of Malaysians who had such issues before the pandemic.
Noting the increased reports of anxiety, depression and suicide during the pandemic, Hazli said Covid-19 has shown Malaysians that the country’s mental health system is incapable of handling the rise in such cases.
“The pandemic has kind of unravelled the inadequacy of what we have ignored for so long – our response to mental health disorders,” he said.
“This should be a wake-up call for the country to place equal importance on mental and physical health.”
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