KUALA LUMPUR, March 27 — Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, is facing overburdened doctors, overcrowded facilities, and ageing equipment, reflecting the state’s strained health care system, said a Warisan rep.
Luyang state assemblyman Samuel Wong said during his visit to QEH last Wednesday with Warisan supreme council member Chen Ket Chuin, the state hospital’s radiology department head Dr Sumithra Sannasey had informed them that an X-ray unit would undergo upgrading works in four to five months. General X-ray services will continue to operate as usual.
“What we observed is not merely an issue affecting a single department, but a reflection of a health care system under strain. Equipment is ageing, facilities are overcrowded, and doctors and specialists are working under extremely heavy workloads,” Wong wrote on Facebook.
“The hospital is also facing chronic congestion, with insufficient basic facilities, including waiting areas and parking spaces – issues that have long remained unresolved.”
Wong noted that a doctor in Sabah needs to treat nearly 800 patients, far from the national target, let alone international standards.
“At the same time, many hospitals are decades old, but still have to serve a growing population spread across vast and dispersed areas,” said the newly elected representative.
“More worrying is that the reduction in regional allowances for doctors serving in Sabah has led to more of them declining placements or leaving the public sector, further worsening the manpower shortage.”
Under the Public Service Remuneration System (SSPA), the Regional Incentive Payment (BIW) allowance for transfers to Sabah, Sarawak, and Labuan was changed to a fixed RM360 monthly rate for medical officers appointed from December 1, 2024, compared to the old progressive framework of a percentage of basic salary.
“This is not merely an infrastructure issue, but a policy failure,” Wong claimed.
“Given Sabah’s size and challenging geography, many people are forced to travel for hours to receive treatment. Yet, a resource allocation model based solely on population clearly does not reflect the realities in Sabah.
“Health care is not a privilege, but a fundamental right. The people of Sabah should not continue to be left behind.
“It is time for real reform, including the need to grant greater autonomy to Sabah in managing its health care system so that it can better respond to local needs. We cannot continue to accept an outdated system for Sabah.”
Wong’s statement is the first time that lawmakers are calling for Sabah health autonomy. The Sarawak state government has long been demanding autonomy in managing the health care system in the state. The public health care system is under federal jurisdiction under the Ministry of Health.
Sarawak Deputy Premier Dr Sim Kui Hian announced last Friday that the Sarawak Medical Committee under the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) was finally operational, noting that the state was short of 2,000 doctors.
“Seventy-five years ago, Sarawak had a Medical Board established under the Medical Registration Ordinance of Sarawak 1948. After the formation of Malaysia, for the period 1963-1971, the Medical Registration Ordinance of Sarawak 1948 was still enforced in Sarawak,” Dr Sim wrote on Facebook.
“Its functions included registration and regulation of medical practitioners in Sarawak. What Sarawak is asking is not more than what Sarawak had before forming Malaysia.”
