Reported doctor no-shows in Sabah and Sarawak prompt MMA call for incentive overhaul
KUCHING, Oct 1 — The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) has called on the government to urgently revert to the pr...
The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) has urged the government to reconsider the Regional Incentive Payment (BIW) and implement stronger incentives to attract and retain doctors in Sabah and Sarawak, following widespread no-shows among medical officers (MOs) in the two states. MMA president Dr Sivanaesan Letchumanan expressed deep concern over reports of large numbers of MOs not reporting for their permanent postings on September 28, with some facilities recording zero arrivals and others experiencing no-show rates of 70-76 percent.
Dr Sivanaesan emphasized that doctors facing relocation, substantial moving costs, and understaffed facilities with demanding workloads were discouraged from serving in East Malaysia. He stressed the need to revert to the previous percentage-based BIW, introduce a dedicated East Malaysia service allowance, and provide relocation assistance reflective of the real cost of moving to Sabah and Sarawak.
Dr Sivanaesan also called for improving living and working conditions in rural areas, providing clear information about the challenges and opportunities of serving in East Malaysia, and progressively increasing Malaysia's public healthcare allocation to five percent of gross domestic product (GDP).
Written by urgent.news from Malay Mail's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
