KUCHING: Sarawak’s critical shortage of doctors has prompted the state to call for a high-level federal meeting under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) to seek long-term solutions.
Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian said that only 249 out of 540 medical officers (MOs) allocated to the State Health Department (JKS) under the Health Ministry (MOH) reported for duty as of Oct 1.
“JKS requested 650 medical officers from MOH due to 1100 vacancies, but only 540 were approved. Out of that number, only 249 actually reported for duty.
“Our doctors are currently doing the work of two people just to keep hospitals running,” he said when met by reporters at an event here today (Oct 7).
He revealed that Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof has agreed to convene the upcoming MA63 Technical Committee meeting to discuss the issue, which will also involve the finance and economy ministers, the attorney general, and other key agencies.
Dr Sim, who is also Minister for Public Health, Housing and Local Government, said MOH’s recent visit to seven major hospitals in July had brought to light the severity of Sarawak’s healthcare workforce shortage, with about 11,000 vacancies across various positions.
Despite the strain, he commended healthcare workers for their dedication.
“They are doing double the workload, one person doing the work of two. They continue to endure in silence, and I regard them as the true heroes of Sarawak’s hospitals,” he stressed.
He also expressed concern over the growing number of doctors migrating abroad to countries like Singapore, Australia, and the United Kingdom due to more attractive salaries.
“This shows that our medical standards are high, but at the same time, we keep losing our skilled workforce because salaries abroad are more attractive, making local offers less appealing,” he said.
Dr Sim stressed that reinstating permanent placements for medical graduates remains the best solution to stabilise the state’s healthcare workforce.
