‘Not just Kota Kinabalu’: MOH targets Sandakan, Tawau clusters in Sabah specialist expansion

KOTA KINABALU, Sept 5 — The Malaysian Ministry of Health (MOH) is targeting Sandakan and Tawau clusters in Sabah for the expansion of specialist services to address shortages in the state, according to Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad. The move is part of the ministry's efforts to bridge the expertise gap in Sabah and bring the level of medical services in Sandakan and Tawau up to the same standard as Kota Kinabalu.

Dr Dzulkefly revealed the ministry's three to five-year goal of empowering the Sandakan and Tawau Clusters with the same range of services, including cardiothoracic care, as Kota Kinabalu.

Further initiatives include absorbing MOH graduates permanently, granting a 15% salary adjustment for SSPA officers, approving Full Transfer Allowances for those changing permanent status, and reviewing ETAP (on-call) incentives. Immediate action will also be taken to upgrade staff quarters in Lahad Datu, Beaufort, and Kota Marudu through federal-state collaboration.

In addition, the Ministry of Health has expanded the Hospital Services Outsourcing Programme to 15 critical services, such as dialysis treatment, diagnostic scans, and surgical missions, in a bid to resolve patient backlogs and shorten waiting times. This expansion is being carried out in collaboration with Hospital Universiti Malaysia Sabah (HUMS) to maximize the use of medical resources in Sabah.

Furthermore, 53 health development projects with a value of RM1.56 billion will be implemented under the 13th Malaysia Plan, alongside RM75.5 million allocated for repairing 132 dilapidated clinics and a RM1 billion investment in electronic medical records (EMR). Dr Dzulkefly emphasized that the digital integration target, previously set for 2045, will now be achieved by 2027, bringing closer the vision of 'One Individual, One Record' by 2030.