PETALING JAYA: The Health Ministry (MoH) has approved claims for relocation allowances from medical officers transferred to Sabah and Sarawak, following reports that some had not reported for duty as their claims had been rejected.
The ministry said the issue had been fully resolved, after approval from the Finance Ministry and the Public Service Department. The claims would be paid starting with permanent appointees from the 2025 cohort, and extended to appointments made in 2026 and beyond, Berita Harian reported.
The Malaysian Medical Association had previously urged the government to review incentives for doctors posted in East Malaysia, after it was reported that more than 70% of medical officers assigned to permanent postings in Sabah and Sarawak failed to report for duty on Sept 28.
MMA president Dr L Sivanaesan said the government should review the relocation assistance, and release the aid before they relocated, not months later through a claims process.
The Health Ministry said it had been given autonomy to manage and allocate postings. Contract medical officers who receive permanent appointments are now required to choose at least one posting in Sabah, Sarawak or Labuan through the ePlacement system.
“The waiting period for placements in the medical graduate training programme has also been shortened to two months, compared with more than 10 months previously,” it said. - FMT
