KUCHING: Sarawak is grappling with a critical shortage of veterinarians, with only 15 professionals available to serve a population of over 2.5 million people.
Minister of Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development, Datuk Seri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom, said the situation underscores the urgent need to strengthen the state’s veterinary workforce.
He said the current number is severely insufficient to meet the growing needs of the livestock and animal health sector.
“I once visited Brazil; they have 4,000 veterinarians. We in Sarawak only have 15. Clearly, we are still far behind.
“Therefore, we plan to establish our own veterinary faculty in Semenggok to produce more local experts,” he said.
He said this when met by reporters after visiting the Siburan Halal Abattoir Complex here today.
He added that in the near future, Sarawak is expected to take over the Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) campus in Bintulu to be turned into UPM Sarawak, paving the way for the establishment of a veterinary studies programme in the state.
“Once the university is under our ownership, everything will be easier and can be planned according to the state’s actual needs,” he said.
Dr Rundi noted that due to the current shortage of veterinarians, Sarawak has had to source expertise from Peninsular Malaysia and neighbouring countries such as Indonesia.
“Malaysia itself is still facing a shortage of veterinarians. Aside from UPM, there is only one other veterinary faculty in Kelantan. The cost of producing veterinarians is very high.
“That’s why we aim to have at least 50 graduates annually from Sarawak alone to meet demand in this sector,” he said.
He informed that discussions with the UPM Senate regarding the plan have already taken place and received approval in principle.
“The accreditation process will remain under UPM, so there are no issues. We only need funding and careful planning to implement it,” he added.