Kuala Lumpur: More than one-third of medical officers offered permanent appointments in Sabah this year failed to report for duty.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad (pic) told the Dewan Rakyat Thursday that only 336 of the 528 medical officers offered permanent appointments in Sabah showed up.
The remaining 192 did not turn up, representing a no-show rate of about 36 per cent.
Against concerns over career progression, Dzulkefly said he had directed the Ministry to study and implement a 30 per cent quota for specialist training for medical officers serving in Sabah and Sarawak.
“Today, we have 1,650 Hadiah Latihan Persekutuan (HLP) places, so 30 per cent, approximately 500 places, will be specifically for those who are in Sabah and Sarawak,” he said.
The proposed allocation would be shared by doctors serving in both states.
The announcement comes amid warnings that Sabah’s existing doctors are being stretched by manpower shortages, with consequences for patients.
Daily Express reported on Oct 3 that Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) Sabah Chairman Dr Brandon Patrick Senagang had received feedback from medical officers in some departments having to perform on-call duties “every other day”.
He warned that rising workloads could fuel exhaustion, burnout and further departures, while patients faced longer waits and treatment delays. MMA Sabah also called for better accommodation, stronger incentives and meaningful postgraduate opportunities to retain doctors.
Earlier, Daily Express reported that Keningau, Beluran and Sipitang hospitals reportedly received no new medical officers under the posting exercise, while Ranau Hospital received only one of four expected doctors.
Those facility-level accounts were based largely on reports from doctors and health workers.
In Sarawak, Dzulkefly said 337 of 527 medical officers offered permanent appointments reported for duty, leaving 190 who did not.
Together, Sabah and Sarawak recorded 382 no-shows from 1,055 offers, or approximately 36 per cent.
Although this was lower than the 42 per cent no-show rate recorded last year, he said he remained dissatisfied with the declining number of permanent appointments in the two states.
He said reasons given included separation from families, reluctance to relocate to rural areas and a preference for urban health facilities.
Other concerns involved caring for parents or siblings, remaining close to spouses, health problems, financial and logistical difficulties, and high relocation costs.
Some doctors also perceived fewer opportunities for specialist training and were concerned about career progression and their prospects of eventually transferring back to Peninsular Malaysia or their home regions.
Dzulkefly said the Ministry had improved the ePlacement system and issued placement results earlier to give officers more time to prepare. Eligible officers could claim transfer allowances at 100 per cent, including meal allowances, accommodation and travel costs.
Those subsequently returning to their original region would also be eligible for a disturbance allowance equivalent to one month’s basic salary.
He said previous service in Sabah and Sarawak would attract additional merit when applications for specialist training and study leave were considered.
The dedicated training quota was intended to further address concerns that serving in the two states could limit professional advancement.
Dzulkefly was responding to Suhaizan Kayat (Pulai-PH) on medical officers who failed to report after the reporting period for 4,255 permanent appointments ended on Oct 7.
Suhaizan, who chairs the Health Parliamentary Special Select Committee, said its recent visit to Sabah identified excessive workloads, geographical challenges, unattractive incentives and uncomfortable working environments as other possible deterrents.
At an ophthalmology clinic in Kota Kinabalu, the committee observed four to five specialists and medical officers sharing a single examination room, he said.
He suggested conditions in Beaufort and Kinabatangan could be more difficult.
Dzulkefly said the Ministry had taken workforce shortages, specialist availability, training challenges and facility constraints into account.
However, he said overcrowded consultation rooms also occurred in Peninsular Malaysia.
