DOCTORS should be given incentives to serve in rural areas and not be allowed to reject their placements, said Mohd Ismail Ayob (BN-Lamag)
He said the shortage of doctors had placed immense pressure on hospitals in Kinabatangan and other rural districts, with some doctors forced to cover as many as three wards.
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“In some cases, one doctor has to cover three wards. Imagine the number of patients they have to attend to and how many doctors are actually needed,” he said while debating the additional budget at the Sabah state assembly sitting here Monday (July 20).
Mohd Ismail urged the state minister overseeing health matters to raise the issue firmly with the federal Health Ministry and seek a long-term solution to the shortage of doctors in rural Sabah.
He drew a comparison with the Education Ministry’s placement system, under which teachers were generally required to accept postings, including those in remote areas.
However, he said doctors appeared to have greater flexibility to reject rural postings, making it difficult for districts such as Kinabatangan to retain sufficient medical personnel.
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“Doctors posted to rural areas should be given appropriate incentives, and they should not be allowed to simply reject their placements,” he said.
Mohd Ismail also called for more clinics to be built in rural settlements located far from hospitals.
He said some residents in his constituency had to travel up to three hours to reach the nearest hospital, creating serious difficulties, particularly during emergencies.
“With this additional allocation, I hope my constituency will not be left behind, especially when it comes to additional clinics and better healthcare services,” he said.
Mohd Ismail said the state’s additional RM1.6bil allocation should translate into improvements in healthcare, water and electricity supply, roads and other essential services in rural Sabah.
He described the substantial increase as an achievement for the state government but said its success would ultimately be measured by whether long-standing problems faced by Sabahans were resolved.
“For us as elected representatives, this is an achievement by the state government in being able to table such a significant increase.
“With this additional allocation, the problems previously raised by assemblymen in their respective constituencies can certainly be addressed, at least to some extent,” he said.
