“The issue of nurses migrating (to work in other countries) is a universal one and needs to be looked at from a wider perspective.

“Because this issue also occurs in other fields,” she said in a written parliamentary reply to Zulkifli Ismail (PN-Jasin) who wanted to know if the ministry was reviewing the salary for nurses as many of them preferred to work abroad.

Zaliha said the government was looking into the Public Service Remuneration System (SSPA) to review salaries, incentives and allowances for civil servants, including those in the health sector.

The ministry, Zaliha added, had already submitted input collated from the relevant associations and officers to the public services department (JPA).

In May last year, it was reported that local nurses were being lured with better offers to work abroad, while a study released in July this year showed that they were being recruited to work in Singapore, the Middle East and Australia.

On a separate matter, Zaliha said only medicines that were not considered controlled medications could be sold in vending machines at people’s housing projects or PPRs.

“These products include over the counter medication, health supplements and approved traditional medicines,” she said, adding that such requirements had been included in the ministry’s guideline for such vending machines.

Zaliha said this in response to Iskandar Dzulkarnian Abdul Khalid (PN-Kuala Kangsar) who asked if a guideline had been drawn up to prevent cases of medicinal poisoning due to the sale of uncontrolled medicines through vending machines.

“Drugs that are considered controlled medicines can only be dispensed to patients by doctors and licensed pharmacists,” she added.

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