Give Sabahan health workers postings in Sabah, urges GRS

KOTA KINABALU: Job postings in Sabah for healthcare workers should be given to Sabahans first, says a Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) leader.

Rizal Johari, who is also Sabah STAR deputy secretary general, said he welcomed the Federal Government's announcement that more health workers would be posted to Sabah.

"We welcome the plan to send in over a hundred more specialists and more than a thousand nurses here before the end of this year.

"However, it is best ... if these positions are filled up by Sabahans.

"Of course, it would be subject to their qualifications but if we have qualified Sabahans, priority should be given to them," he said in a statement here on Wednesday (Sept 14).

Rizal noted that Sabah desperately needed better healthcare and medical facilities, especially in rural areas.

"Sabahan nurses may be working at government or private hospitals in other states.

"Some of them might wish to return home to serve their own community," Rizal said.

Rizal was commenting on Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin's statement that Sabah and Sarawak would have better healthcare facilities, more manpower and improved benefits, according to a draft of the Health White Paper.

Khairy said that he hoped that Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Duchess of Kent Hospital in Sandakan and Tawau Hospital would have 49 specialists each by year end.

He also announced plans to modernise medical facilities in the Bornean States.