A total of 259 medical officers and 95 nurses resigned from government healthcare facilities in Sarawak from 2020 to 2024, says health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad.
In a written parliamentary reply, he said while his ministry is working to strengthen the state’s healthcare workforce, many medical officers reject placements in the state, especially in its rural areas, despite the incentives offered.
“A total of 27,209 healthcare workers are serving in Sarawak as of June 30.
“Of that figure, 685 are medical specialists, 3,029 are medical officers, 6,479 are nurses, 1,699 are community nurses and 15,317 are working in other service schemes,” he said.
He was replying to Ahmad Johnie Zawawi (GPS-Igan), who had asked how many doctors and nurses in the state had resigned in the last five years, and what is being done to overcome the state’s shortage of healthcare labour.
Dzulkefly said ongoing initiatives include mandating that contract medical officers choose at least one placement in Sarawak, Sabah or Labuan; and a higher placement quota for contract medical officers in Sarawak.
He said the ministry also prioritises Sarawak-born medical officers for placements in the state’s facilities.
Dzulkefly said the incentives offered include payments of RM500 to RM1,500 monthly based on placement location and difficulty faced, as well as payments of RM500 to RM2,500 monthly for medical and dental specialists posted to Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan.
