{
  "id": 5732568,
  "title": "‘Not just Kota Kinabalu’: MOH targets Sandakan, Tawau clusters in Sabah specialist expansion",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/05/not-just-kota-kinabalu-moh-targets-sandakan-tawau-clusters-in-sabah",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-09-05T06:52:32.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Malay Mail",
    "slug": "malay-mail",
    "url": "https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2026/09/05/not-just-kota-kinabalu-moh-targets-sandakan-tawau-clusters-in-sabah-specialist-expansion/234033"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "KOTA KINABALU, Sept 5 - The Malaysian Ministry of Health (MOH) aims to expand specialist services in Sabah, targeting clusters in Sandakan and Tawau, to reduce the shortage of specialists in the state. Health Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad revealed this in a Facebook post, stating that the effort aligns with the ministry's plan to bring specialist expertise to rural areas in Sabah. The three to five-year target is to match Kota Kinabalu’s level of specialist services, including cardiothoracic services.\n\nThe MOH aims to bridge the expertise gap by empowering Sandakan and Tawau Clusters, offering permanent employment to MOH Training Institute graduates, a 15% salary increase, and additional allowances. Immediate actions include upgrading staff quarters in Lahad Datu, Beaufort, and Kota Marudu. Furthermore, the MOH is broadening the Hospital Services Outsourcing Programme to address congestion in public hospital facilities.\n\nThis expansion targets 15 critical services, such as dialysis, diagnostic scans, and surgical missions, aiming to cut waiting times. The initiative collaborates with Hospital Universiti Malaysia Sabah (HUMS) to optimize medical capacity.\n\nDr Dzulkefly also unveiled 53 health development projects worth RM1.56 billion under the 13th Malaysia Plan, along with RM75.5 million for repairing 132 clinics and RM1 billion for electronic medical records. The Ministry of Health aims to achieve its digital integration goal of 'One Individual, One Record' by 1Q2027, earlier than initially planned for 2045.",
  "summary": "KOTA KINABALU, Sept 5 — The Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH) will begin placing resident specialists in several h...",
  "key_points": [
    "Malaysian Ministry of Health targets Sandakan and Tawau clusters for specialist service expansion.",
    "Aim to match Kota Kinabalu’s level of specialist services within three to five years.",
    "Initiatives include salary increases, allowances, and upgrading staff quarters in rural areas."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The Ministry of Health's expansion plan aims to alleviate Sabah's specialist shortage by elevating services in Sandakan and Tawau to match Kota Kinabalu's level, benefiting rural populations with increased access to critical healthcare services.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Malay Mail",
        "title": "‘Not just Kota Kinabalu’: MOH targets Sandakan, Tawau clusters in Sabah specialist expansion",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/05/not-just-kota-kinabalu-moh-targets-sandakan-tawau-clusters-in-sabah-5740783",
        "published": "2026-09-05T06:52:32.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}