{
  "id": 1431340,
  "title": "Dzulkefly defends transfer of ex-Sabah hospital director",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/dzulkefly-defends-transfer-of-ex-sabah-hospital-director",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-08-17T06:11:17.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/news/regional/2026/08/1512952/dzulkefly-defends-transfer-ex-sabah-hospital-director"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "KOTA KINABALU: Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, the Health Minister, has defended the transfer of a former hospital director in Sabah pending an investigation into a potential sexual harassment case. The Health Minister stated that this administrative move was necessary to prevent interference during the investigation. The former director has been reassigned as a medical officer within the Sabah Health Department. This transfer, according to Dr Dzulkefly, does not constitute a demotion. A lawyer representing the former director filed a formal complaint with the ministry, requesting an explanation of the decision's rationale and the evidence supporting it. The lawyer questioned the authority of the state health department to remove the individual before a disciplinary process is completed. The allegations of sexual harassment were reported to the Sabah Police in January, following a video that surfaced in February. The video featured local politicians urging authorities to investigate the incident, which allegedly occurred in October of the previous year.",
  "summary": "KOTA KINABALU: The Health Ministry has defended its decision to transfer a former director at a Sabah hospital pending a full investigation into an alleged sexual harassment case.",
  "key_points": [
    "Health Minister Dzulkefly defends transfer of ex-Sabah hospital director.",
    "Transfer aims to prevent interference during investigation.",
    "Former director reassigned as medical officer, not demoted."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The transfer of the former hospital director allows for an unimpeded investigation into the sexual harassment allegations while also keeping them within the Sabah Health Department.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}