KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 8 — Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad today announced a 30 per cent quota for specialist training for medical officers serving in Sabah and Sarawak, as official figures showed 36 per cent of doctors offered permanent posts in the two states this year failed to report for duty.
Dzulkefly said he had directed the Ministry of Health (MOH) to study and implement the dedicated quota for medical officers serving in Sabah and Sarawak, in a bid to address concerns about limited career progression opportunities in the two states.
“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 told the Dewan Rakyat during Question Time today.
Dzulkefly said 337 out of 527 medical officers offered permanent appointments in Sarawak this year reported for duty, a 64 per cent reporting rate. This means 190 doctors did not report for duty, equivalent to a 36 per cent no-show rate.
In Sabah, 336 out of 528 medical officers offered permanent appointments reported for duty, also a 64 per cent reporting rate. The remaining 192 doctors did not report for duty, giving a 36 per cent no-show rate.
Combined, 673 out of 1,055 medical officers offered permanent appointments in Sabah and Sarawak reported for duty this year, while 382 did not.
Dzulkefly said the 36 per cent no-show rate was an improvement from 42 per cent last year, but he was still not satisfied with the number of doctors declining permanent appointments in Sabah and Sarawak.
He said the reasons given by medical officers for rejecting permanent appointments included being separated from their families, unwillingness to serve in rural areas, a preference for urban facilities, and perceptions that career opportunities were limited outside major cities.
Other reasons included responsibilities to parents, siblings, or spouses; health problems; logistical and financial difficulties, including high relocation costs; perceptions of limited opportunities for specialist training in Sabah and Sarawak; and concerns about career progression and opportunities to transfer back to Peninsular Malaysia or their home regions.
Dzulkefly said MOH had introduced several measures to encourage medical officers to serve in Sabah and Sarawak.
These included improving the ePlacement system, providing placement results earlier so doctors could prepare for relocation, and allowing officers to claim transfer allowances at 100 per cent, including meal allowances, hotel accommodation and travel costs.
Medical officers returning to their original region would also be eligible for a disturbance allowance equivalent to one month of their basic salary, he said.
MOH would also award additional merit to medical officers who had previously served in Sabah and Sarawak when considering applications for specialist training and study leave, Dzulkefly said.
He said the new 30 per cent specialist-training quota was intended to further address doctors’ concerns about career progression outside Peninsula Malaysia.
“This is my commitment to elevate the status and recognise the sacrifices of our officers in Sabah and Sarawak,” Dzulkefly said.
Dzulkefly was responding to Pulai MP Suhaizan Kayat, who asked about the number of medical officers who failed to report for duty after the reporting period for 4,255 permanent appointments ended on October 7, as well as the reasons and measures being taken to address the problem.
Kulai MP: Excessive Workload, Poor Facilities Also Factors
Suhaizan, who chairs the Health Parliamentary Special Select Committee (PSSC), said the committee’s recent visit to Sabah had identified other possible reasons for doctors being reluctant to serve there, including excessive workloads, geographical challenges, unattractive incentives, and uncomfortable working environments.
He said the committee had visited hospitals in Kota Kinabalu and observed several specialists and medical officers sharing a single consultation room.
“In the examination room of an ophthalmology clinic, we saw four to five specialists and medical officers sitting in the same examination room,” Suhaizan said. “That was in Kota Kinabalu, but I’m sure in Beaufort and Kinabatangan, it would be even worse.”
Dzulkefly said MOH had taken the shortage of health workers and specialists, career-development and training challenges, and facility constraints into account when addressing the problem.
However, he said overcrowded consultation rooms were not unique to Sabah and Sarawak.
“A situation where three or four consulting physicians and doctors are packed into one room is not a phenomenon limited to Sabah and Sarawak,” Dzulkefly said. “It is also the situation in Peninsula Malaysia, although the degree of severity may be greater there.”
