KOTA KINABALU: The Federal Government has approved RM1.57 billion under the Rolling Plan 1 (RP1) of the 13th Malaysia Plan for the development of health projects in Sabah.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the allocation covered 53 projects, comprising 46 ongoing and seven new projects, in line with the Ministry’s strategic plan to develop high-impact health facilities to meet the needs of Sabahans.
“Among the new projects are the RM125 million Sabah Heart Centre and the RM81.95 million Type 5 Health Clinic with staff quarters in Sapulut, Nabawan,” he told reporters Monday after chairing the inaugural 2026 Sabah Health Development Joint Action Committee Meeting with State Women, Health and People’s Wellbeing Minister Datuk Julita Majungki.
Dzulkefly said the meeting heard 33 claims from Sabah under the ongoing Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) negotiations on health development, which are being handled through five subcommittees.
“The Committee agreed to draw up a balanced scorecard to have clear timelines, clear deliverables and clear key performance indicators to track progress,” he said.
On staffing and human resources, Dzulkefly said 607 new posts had been created in Sabah as of Aug 1, comprising 355 management and professional posts, including 77 specialist posts and 203 medical, dental and pharmacy officer posts, as well as 252 posts in the support group, to ensure facilities operate at optimum capacity.
“The Health Ministry is targeting a five per cent annual increase in the budget for the Sabah Health Department, with total allocation projected to reach RM4 billion by 2030,” he said.
Additionally, he said he approved nearly RM4.3 million in immediate allocations for three district hospitals following his working visits to Tambunan, Ranau and Kota Belud from Aug 14.
For Tambunan Hospital, RM988,000 was approved to upgrade the emergency department, repair a damaged canteen and procure medical equipment.
He also expressed appreciation to Keningau Member of Parliament Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan for contributing a hydraulic bed and an ultrasound machine to the hospital.
Additionally, Dzulkefly said his Ministry decided to cancel a stalled outpatient department project that had been delayed for nine years, and would instead focus on building a new hospital, with preliminary works now being carried out by the Public Works Department to allow the Ministry to apply for full project details under RP3 of the 13th Malaysia Plan.
For Ranau Hospital, he said RM1.279 million was approved to address critical facility issues, with RM950,000 channelled to rebuild the triage counter, repair the canteen, upgrade electrical transformer capacity for air-conditioning installation and procure three new mortuary units.
A further RM329,000 was allocated for essential medical equipment, along with approval to obtain four new ambulances.
Dzulkefly said he and the Health Ministry Secretary General disagreed with the proposed site for a new Ranau hospital and instead wanted a feasibility study carried out immediately to refurbish the hospital at its existing site.
For Kota Belud Hospital, Dzulkefly approved RM2.01 million after noting the outpatient unit was congested, handling an average of 261 patients daily.
The allocation includes RM1 million to upgrade the outpatient unit, RM510,000 to strengthen dental unit equipment and RM500,000 to procure a new mobile X-ray machine to replace an existing asset that is 18 years old.
“We appreciate the openness and extraordinary cooperation shown by the Sabah Government throughout the MA63 negotiation process,” he said, adding that they will continue working to ensure all three strategic thrusts are realised for the wellbeing of Sabah and her people.
Asked whether the projects announced would be handled by the State, Dzulkefly said all the allocations had been approved for immediate implementation.
“Everything is handled by the State Health Department, under the director, of course,” he said.
