KOTA KINABALU: The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) Sabah Branch has urged the Health Ministry (MOH) to immediately send more doctors from Peninsular Malaysia to address the critical shortage of medical officers at Ranau Hospital.
This includes other understaffed healthcare facilities across Sabah.
Its chairman Dr Brandon Patrick Senagang said urgent intervention was needed following reports of doctors working between 48 and 72 consecutive hours with inadequate rest, raising serious concerns over their well-being and the sustainability of healthcare services.
He said the Sabah state health department had confirmed that 11 of Ranau Hospital’s 19 medical officers were transferred out following the recent permanent appointment exercise, while only one of seven designated replacements from outside Sabah reported for duty, leaving the hospital operating with nine doctors, including its director.
“The account published by CodeBlue, describing doctors working for 48 to 72 consecutive hours with inadequate rest, is deeply troubling,” he said in a statement today.
Brandon said the shortage extended beyond Hospital Ranau, with Sabah State Health Department reporting an estimated statewide shortfall of 245 medical officers following the appointment exercise, while 67 per cent of replacement candidates from outside Sabah failed to report for duty.
He said MMA Sabah had also received reports of prolonged working hours and increasingly frequent on-call duties at other hospitals across the state, with some doctors considering leaving the service due to mounting pressure and exhaustion.
While welcoming Sabah state health department’s efforts to deploy three additional medical officers to Hospital Ranau in stages, he stressed that the measure alone was insufficient as many healthcare facilities across Sabah were facing similar shortages.
“We urge MOH to implement an immediate, coordinated programme of temporary deployments from Peninsular Malaysia, prioritising facilities with the most critical staffing gaps and workloads,” he said, adding that such deployments should include clear rotation periods, funded travel and accommodation, and adequate operational support.
Brandon also welcomed the MOH’s special recruitment exercise to fill 750 permanent medical officer vacancies across Sabah and Sarawak but said the proposed reporting date of Feb 15 next year was too far away to address the immediate crisis.
He said longer-term measures should include restoring percentage-based Regional Incentive Payments (BIW), strengthening incentives for rural and East Malaysian postings, providing relocation assistance and safe accommodation, as well as ensuring clear posting durations, transparent transfer arrangements and career progression opportunities.
Brandon also called for a coordinated response involving the MOH, Public Service Department, Finance Ministry and Sabah government to address staffing shortages through appropriate funding, incentives and practical support, stressing that immediate action was essential to protect patients and safeguard the well-being of doctors serving in the state.