KOTA KINABALU: The government must enhance incentives and welfare benefits for outstation medical officers posted to Sabah as the doctor shortage reaches a critical point, says the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA).
MMA Sabah branch chairman Dr Brandon Patrick Senagang said recent figures showed that out of 138 medical officers expected to report to hospitals across the state, only 47 had reported for duty, representing approximately 34%.
"These figures involve hospital postings only and do not include doctors assigned to District Health Offices or government health clinics," Dr Brandon said in a statement.
He noted that remaining doctors are forced to bear unsustainable workloads, with many departments requiring medical officers to perform every-other-day calls due to insufficient staffing.
"Manpower shortage cannot be solved by continuously asking the doctors who remain to work more," he said. "Every doctor who leaves without adequate replacement increases the workload, frequency of calls and responsibility carried by colleagues who remain."
He warned that the situation risks creating a vicious cycle of understaffing, exhaustion, burnout and further attrition, which ultimately impacts patient care through longer wait times and treatment delays.
Dr Brandon expressed support for MMA president Dr Sivanaesan Letchumanan's call for urgent measures to strengthen incentives, improve living conditions and review the overall remuneration structure for healthcare workers in East Malaysia.
"MMA Sabah strongly supports the call to restore the previous percentage-based Regional Incentive Payment (BIW) and to review the overall incentive structure for doctors serving in East Malaysia," he added.
He noted that the low reporting rate among medical officers highlighted broader systemic issues in Sabah, including inadequate rural housing, poor transport infrastructure, unreliable water and power supply, and limited internet connectivity.
He urged federal and state authorities to collaborate on comprehensive healthcare reforms, provide clear pathways for postgraduate training, and introduce Sabah-specific supplementary incentives to retain medical talent.
