April 30, 2024

Malaysia faces shortage of veterinarians amid industry demands

Malaysia is grappling with a significant shortage of veterinarians, with the need for at least 6,000 professionals to meet industry demands and enhance animal husbandry practices, Bernama reported.

Currently, the country has only around 2,300 veterinarians, falling far short of the required numbers.

Datuk Lokman Hakim Ali, secretary-general of Malaysia's Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM), highlighted the urgent need to address this shortage to achieve sustainability and food security goals. Malaysia aims to achieve a ratio of one veterinarian to 5,000 people who own pets or livestock, a significant improvement from the current ratio of one veterinarian to 14,000 people.

Speaking at the World Veterinary Day 2024 event at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS), Datuk Lokman stressed the importance of increasing the number of veterinarians to support the country's agricultural sector. He emphasized the need for approximately 6,000 more veterinarians to fulfil industry requirements effectively.

The shortage of veterinarians is attributed to limited educational opportunities and the capacity of local universities to accommodate veterinary course applications. Despite receiving approximately 3,000 applications annually, University of Putra Malaysia (UPM) and University of Malaysia Kelantan (UMK) can only produce a fraction of the required number of graduates.

Datuk Lokman underscored the necessity of enhancing cooperation between ministries, including the Ministry of Higher Education, as well as local and private universities. He proposed offering incentive packages or benefits akin to those of medical officers to attract more individuals to the veterinary profession.

-      Bernama