Sabah MMA seeks urgent deployment of doctors

KOTA KINABALU - The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) has urged the Health Ministry to urgently deploy more doctors from Peninsular Malaysia to critically understaffed healthcare facilities in Sabah. Dr Brandon Patrick Senagang, the chairman of Sabah MMA, highlighted a report by CodeBlue which revealed that doctors in Ranau, a town in Sabah, were working over 48 to 72 consecutive hours with insufficient rest. Despite their dedication, the situation calls for practical support and timely relief.

Eleven out of 19 medical officers at Hospital Ranau have been transferred since the recent permanent appointment exercise, leaving only seven doctors, including the hospital's director. Out of these seven designated replacements from outside Sabah, only one has reported for duty, causing the hospital to operate with a staff of nine doctors, including the director.

The Sabah State Health Department reported a statewide shortage of 245 medical officers following the permanent appointment exercise, with 67% of replacement candidates failing to report for duty. The MMA Sabah has called for an immediate deployment of three additional medical officers to Ranau in stages, but this is hampered by similar shortages at other facilities in the state.

The MMA Sabah has welcomed a special recruitment exercise to fill 750 permanent medical officer vacancies across Sabah and Sarawak, but a proposed reporting date of February 15, 2027, is deemed too distant to address the immediate shortages.