Kota Kinabalu: The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) Sabah branch wants peninsula doctors to be temporarily deployed to critically understaffed hospitals in the State, warning that exhausted medical officers and their patients cannot wait until February for reinforcements.
Its Chairman Dr Brandon Patrick Senagang said the special recruitment exercise to fill 750 permanent medical officer vacancies across Sabah and Sarawak was welcome, but the proposed reporting date of Feb 15, 2027 was more than three months away.
“Our doctors and patients cannot simply wait until February for relief. An immediate staffing response must run alongside the permanent recruitment exercise,” he said, Saturday.
He proposed an immediate, coordinated programme of temporary deployments from Peninsular Malaysia, prioritising facilities with the most critical staffing gaps and workloads.
The deployments should have clear rotation periods, funded travel and accommodation, and adequate operational support to restore reasonable rest and reduce excessive consecutive duties.
Brandon said the situation at Hospital Ranau illustrated a wider workforce crisis across Sabah. Citing the Sabah State Health Department’s (JKNS) statement, he said 11 of the hospital’s 19 medical officers were transferred out following the recent permanent appointment exercise, while only one of seven designated replacements from outside Sabah reported for duty.
The hospital was now operating with nine doctors, including its director, he said.
He said JKNS had also reported an estimated statewide shortfall of 245 medical officers arising from the exercise, with 67 per cent of replacement candidates from outside Sabah failing to report for duty.
Brandon described a CodeBlue account of doctors working for 48 to 72 consecutive hours with inadequate rest as deeply troubling.
“We cannot allow extraordinary personal sacrifice to become the routine basis on which essential healthcare services operate.” He said MMA Sabah was also receiving reports from doctors at other hospitals in the State describing prolonged working hours and increasingly frequent on-call duties, with some considering leaving the service.
Each unfilled position increased the burden on remaining doctors, creating a cycle of exhaustion, burnout and further departures that threatened continuity of patient care.
Brandon welcomed JKNS’s move to deploy three additional medical officers to Ranau in stages, but said national intervention was necessary because other facilities across Sabah faced similar shortages.
He also cautioned that the permanent recruitment exercise could encounter similar difficulties unless the conditions influencing doctors’ willingness to accept and remain in Sabah postings were addressed.
These included restoring percentage-based BIW, stronger incentives for East Malaysia and rural service, upfront relocation assistance, safe staff accommodation and reliable basic infrastructure.
Doctors also needed clear posting durations, transparent transfer arrangements and credible career progression opportunities, he said.
Brandon called for a coordinated response involving the Health Ministry, Public Service Department, Finance Ministry and Sabah Government to provide urgent staffing relief, funding and practical support.
“We must make it more attractive for doctors to come to Sabah, more sustainable for them to stay, and possible for those already serving here to continue without sacrificing their health.
“Our doctors need relief now. Our patients need action now.”
.jpg?t=1793454287)
