by DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Dec 22: Deputy Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government Sarawak (Public Health and Housing), Datuk Michael Tiang Ming Tee, has urged the Federal Government to reconsider its proposed reduction of regional incentive allowances for healthcare personnel serving in Sabah and Sarawak.
He warned that the move would worsen an already critical manpower shortage and further burden healthcare workers in the region.
In a statement today, Tiang highlighted that the proposal fails to account for the unique structural and geographical realities faced by healthcare workers in East Malaysia, and this could worsen existing challenges in attracting and retaining medical professionals.
He noted that Sarawak is already grappling with a high “no-show” rate among medical officers, a problem he said is largely driven by policy decisions that do not reflect conditions on the ground, including the absence of transfer allowances, which makes the situation worse.
“Sarawak faces unique structural and geographical realities that are fundamentally different from those in Peninsular Malaysia.
“The vastness of our land, the presence of remote and hard-to-reach communities, limited transport and infrastructure in interior regions, higher costs of living in certain postings, and the professional isolation experienced by medical officers and specialists all compound the difficulty of sustaining a stable healthcare workforce,” he said.
Tiang stressed that the regional incentive allowance was never a privilege, but rather a critical policy instrument to attract, retain, and sustain healthcare professionals in postings where service conditions are objectively more demanding.
Highlighting the scale of the problem, Tiang revealed that during the October 2025 permanent appointment intake, 293 out of 542 medical officers allocated to Sarawak, or approximately 54 per cent, did not report for duty.
He further emphasised that the issue extends beyond workforce management and poses a serious public health risk.
“These decisions discourage medical officers from taking up postings in Sarawak, deepen existing workforce shortages and place even greater pressure on our healthcare system,” he said, adding that any further erosion of incentives will disproportionately affect rural and vulnerable populations who already face barriers to timely and quality healthcare.
Tiang called on the Federal Government to pause the proposed reduction and engage in meaningful consultation with state governments, professional bodies and frontline healthcare workers. He also urged for a comprehensive impact assessment to be conducted before any policy affecting Sarawak is finalised.
“Healthcare workers in Sabah and Sarawak deserve recognition, support and fairness. Not policies that inadvertently penalise them for serving where the need is greatest,” he said.
While reaffirming Sarawak’s commitment to working constructively with the Federal Ministry of Health, Tiang said the State government would remain firm in defending the interests of its healthcare workforce and the wellbeing of the people.
“In the spirit and intent of Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), Sarawak GPS Government has been championing for healthcare autonomy to close our longstanding and historical gaps in healthcare access in this region. We believe our agenda for healthcare autonomy must be understood as Sarawakian rights to design and to implement a more effective and sustainable healthcare policies that genuinely serve the needs of Sarawakians,” he added. – DayakDaily
