Belanjawan 2027 perlu tangani kekurangan doktor, kata Adun Sabah

Sabah MP Masiung Banah has called for urgent attention to the shortage of doctors in the 2027 budget, urging the government, particularly the Health Ministry, to compete with international offers in terms of salary and career opportunities to retain local medical professionals. He pointed out that the doctor-to-population ratio has reached a concerning level of one doctor for every 400 people.

Masiung emphasized the need for a complete overhaul of career incentives in public health services, which he expects to be highlighted by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during the 9th of October budget speech. According to him, the government, especially the Health Ministry, must compete with salary offers and higher exchange rates offered by advanced nations to prevent local doctors from migrating abroad.

"Local doctors and nursing graduates are more inclined to leave the country due to the lack of interest in the contract-based service system offered," he stated in a statement. Consequently, he urged the government to reinstate the permanent employment contract system for government doctors, including specialists, with more consistent salary increases.

The only acceptable recruitment offer, according to him, should be for doctors brought in from abroad. Masiung, who is also the president of the Sabah DUN Support Group, pointed out that contract-based recruitment is only suitable for foreign-trained doctors. A leading analyst from BIMB Securities Research, Maliana Shaharudin, cited a primary challenge facing the health sector today as a lack of specialist doctors and difficulties in retaining skilled medical personnel, predicting a shortfall of over 13,000 specialists by 2030, which could strain the nation's healthcare system due to an aging population and increasing chronic diseases.

Recently, the President of the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) for Sabah, Dr Brandon Patrick Senagang, voiced concerns about the doctor shortage in the state.