Medical educators: Are we training the right healthcare workers?

“Healthcare education is changing — irrevocably, and at pace. For medical educators in the field, keeping up means staying sharp on both the science of teaching and the shifting demands of the industry they serve. It is a dual challenge that few institutions take head-on. Monash University Malaysia and the Malaysian Association of Education in Medical & Health Sciences (MAEMHS) are among those who do. Together, they organised the first-ever Monash Malaysia–MAEMHS International Conference on Health Professions Education 2026 (MMICHPE 2026): a landmark gathering designed to interrogate the evolving expectations placed on healthcare professionals — and on those who train them. Themed “The Learning Continuum,” the conference set out to cultivate future-ready learners, bringing together medical educators and industry partners to grapple with one of the most pressing questions facing health systems worldwide: are our universities producing the workforce that society actually needs? The gap between the classroom and the clinic Dato’ Seri Dr Mahathar bin Abd Wahab, Director-General of Health Malaysia, delivered the opening address and a plenary session on aligning education with workforce needs — and he did not mince his words. Malaysia , he noted, continues to graduate health professionals in significant numbers every year. Yet the country still faces persistent shortages and an uneven distribution of talent across the healthcare system. The problem, he argued, is not one of volume. “The question isn’t about how many graduates,” he said. “It’s about whether we are producing the right workforce that Malaysia actually needs.” Dr Mahathar identified a fundamental flaw in the current model: the pipeline from education to employment in the medical field is fragmented rather than seamless. Graduates tend to be hospital-ready, he observed — but not health-system ready. Malaysia’s healthcare system, like many others, increasingly requires professionals equipped for health promotion and preventive work, not just clinical intervention. That distinction matters enormously, and current curricula do not always reflect it. Malaysia is not alone — but that is no excuse The Director-General was candid in acknowledging that Malaysia’s challenges are far from unique. Countries and medical educators across the globe are wrestling with the same tensions between education output and workforce need. Yet just because it’s a common issue doesn’t mean Malaysia gets a free pass. “Malaysia is not alone in facing these challenges,” Dr Mahathar said, “but this cannot be the excuse.” Thailand has made strides by focusing training resources on rural communities. Romania has developed localised solutions tailored to its own service gaps. The UK continues to grapple with workforce retention. What is needed, the Director-General argued, is strong governance and sustained implementation — not short-term fixes. Specifically, Dr Mahathar outlined five strategic considerations he believes are essential to transforming Malaysia’s health workforce pipeline. The Monash Malaysia–MAEMHS International Conference on Health Professions Education (MMICHPE) 2026 was held on 9 and 10 April. Source: Monash University Malaysia 5 strategic priorities for reform Fix governance first But if the people and systems at the top aren’t solid, fixes made further down the line will keep falling apart. That’s why Dr Mahathar called for the establishment of an independent national Human Resources for Health (HRH) governing committee, a mandate for workforce planning cycles that link university intake quotas with Ministry of Health capacity, a unified national HRH information system, and the publication of transparent workforce supply and demand reports. Redesign what we teach The shift from time-based training to competency-based training is long overdue. The goal of medical educators and the education system overall should be to produce graduates who are industry-ready, not merely graduates who have completed a fixed duration of study. And medical educators must be a part of that shift. For instance, medical school curricula must also prepare students for the realities of artificial intelligence in clinical settings — including the very real risk of deskilling if AI is adopted without critical thinking frameworks. Exposure to rural and underserved communities must be embedded into training, ensuring that what is taught reflects what the health system actually needs. A slide from Dr Mahathar’s keynote during the conference. Source: Study International Remove regulatory drag Streamlining registration and licensing processes is essential to getting qualified professionals into the workforce faster and more efficiently. Deploy strategically, retain meaningfully Producing graduates is only half the equation. How they are distributed — and whether they stay — is just as important. Fair distribution is needed to maintain manageable workloads, but retention also depends on non-monetary factors that are too often overlooked: well-being, flexible work arrangements, and a culture that treats healthcare workers as whole human beings, not just service providers. Build the workforce we are missing Community-based work is more important than ever, and yet the community health workforce remains underdeveloped. Dr Mahathar pointed to the need for a Community Health Worker cadre and called for reform through a clear, sequenced roadmap — one that is sustained and achievable, with a long-term vision driving it forward. In her welcome address, Professor Emeritus Dato’ Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman, President and Pro Vice-Chancellor, Monash University Malaysia also spoke about the issue of brain drain. Source: Monash University Malaysia A call to medical educators The conference made clear that reform on this scale cannot be achieved by policymakers alone. Medical educators have a vital role to play — and a specific set of responsibilities. Those working in health professions education were urged to review their curricula in light of real service needs, champion interprofessional learning, and engage actively with workforce planning processes. Medical educators were also called on to extend their reach beyond the university walls, strengthen partnerships with the Ministry of Health, and ground their teaching in evidence. These are not small asks. But MMICHPE 2026 made the case that they are necessary ones — for Malaysia and for every system grappling with the question of how to train the healthcare workforce of tomorrow.

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