Incentives are continually improved to retain doctors, especially specialists, serving with the government, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

However, the external offers are more lucrative and many of them continue to leave the government service, said Deputy Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahya.

"They receive irresistible offers out there. They qualify as specialists and not long after that, they will resign. We try to offer various types of incentives but we can't compete with the private sector," he said in reply to a supplementary question from Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali (BN-Bagan Serai).

He said that to ensure government hospitals and clinics had sufficient doctors, the ministry had prepared related training programmes.

"Three or four years ago, only 300 places were available for specialist training. Now, it has increased to 1,000 places a year. There was a proposal to conduct parallel programmes with foreign universities to speed up specialist training in resolving the high rate of turnover," he said.

Replying to a supplementary question from Idris Ahmad (PAS-Bukit Gantang) who proposed that government doctors start with the UD48 salary scheme, Dr Hilmi said the current salary scheme for doctors was much better than before.

"The salary scheme has improved. The salary grade for doctors is time-based. From Grade 41 to 44 it takes two years, 44 to 48, three years, 48 to 52, two years, 52 to 54, two years.

"In short, nine years for a specialist to attain Grade 54 and for non-specialists, 12 years," he said.