We are aware of the shortage of psychiatrists in Malaysia.
However, there is no formal report on the distribution and ratio of
psychiatrists in each state in Malaysia. We aim to do a detailed count of the
number of psychiatrists in the country. Methods: We obtained the figures for
the psychiatrists practicing in the government, private and university settings
by accessing the Ministry of Health database, information from the
Malaysian Psychiatric Association, Malaysian Mental Health Association,
National Specialist Register and websites of the respective Universities. The
total number and ratio of psychiatrists per 100,000 population are calculated.
Results: There was a total of 410 registered psychiatrists in Malaysia in the
private universities, private clinics, public universities and government
hospitals. The state with the highest number of psychiatrists is Wilayah
Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur with a total of 94 psychiatrists which has a ratio
of 5.24 per 100, 000 population followed by Wilayah Persekutuan Putrajaya
with 3.38 per 100,000 population. The states with the least ratio of
psychiatrists are Sabah with 0.54 and Kedah with 0.55 per 100, 000
population. Conclusion: There is a discrepancy in the geographical
distribution of psychiatrists in Malaysia. People living in larger, urban states
have better access to mental health care whereas the smaller states face a
serious lack of psychiatrists. More effort should be taken to improve mental
healthcare in Malaysia as recommended by WHO with one psychiatrist for
every 10, 000 population.