By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, April 18: China’s Fudan University—ranked in the top 3 in China and top 30 globally—has the potential to aid Sarawak in tackling the State’s ongoing shortage of medical professionals, says Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian.
He noted that Sarawak currently has fewer than 4,000 doctors—well below the 6,000 needed to meet Malaysian standards. Alarmingly, about half of those serving in the State are from West Malaysia.
“There is no question that Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) graduates 150 medical students a year.
“If we are short of 2,000 doctors, that means it will take more than 10 years to catch up—and that’s assuming all UNIMAS graduates choose to stay in Sarawak.
“That’s why there is an urgent need for us to address this,” he said when met by reporters at an event in Kuching today. An audio recording of the doorstep interview was shared with DayakDaily afterwards.
Dr Sim, who is the Sarawak Minister for Public Health, Housing and Local Government, believes the Sarawak-Fudan collaboration could help address this gap, especially in view of the State’s ageing population and growing healthcare needs.
He also raised concern over the broader national challenge of medical brain drain. He cited that while Monash University Malaysia and Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia produce around 150 graduates annually, many leave the country for better opportunities abroad.
“Half of Monash’s medical graduates go to Australia. For Newcastle, 90 per cent go to the United Kingdom (UK).
“We are training doctors, but they’re not staying in Malaysia. That’s why we must find a solution to this,” he stressed.
He pointed out that while some doctors go overseas for experience and specialisation, others are drawn by better pay and working conditions.
“The fact is, very few people like me come back from Australia to work for RM3,130 as a specialist. That’s why very few specialists want to return.
“If we offered RM30,000 a month instead of RM3,000, maybe we’d stand a better chance—but even RM30,000 is nothing compared to Australia.
“That’s why here in Sarawak, we have asked the Ministry of Health (MOH) to delegate health powers to us, so we can have autonomy—at least to employ our own doctors,” he added. — DayakDaily
