The ratio of anaesthesia specialists in Malaysia stands at only 3.32 per 100,000 population, well below the minimum threshold compared to the World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists (WFSA) standards, which recommend a ratio of five specialists per 100,000 people.

Dr Nizam Mokhtar, an anaesthesiologist from the Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Department, Faculty of Medicine, Canselor Tuanku Muhriz Hospital, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, said the shortage is more noticeable in rural areas, such as the interior regions of Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.