By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, June 16: The federal government may exempt medical doctors serving in Sabah and Sarawak from the freeze on rural allowances introduced under Budget 2025, says Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.
According to a report by New Straits Times, Dzulkefly said the matter, raised during his recent visit to Sabah, would be brought to the Cabinet for further discussion.
“We will table the matter at the Cabinet meeting and examine it thoroughly,” he said at a ceremony on June 12 to mark the handover of 100 haemodialysis machines from the Sabah government to the Health Ministry at Queen Elizabeth Hospital II in Kota Kinabalu.
The freeze on rural allowances is part of the Finance Ministry’s fiscal consolidation strategy under the national budget.
Sabah Community Development and People’s Wellbeing Minister Datuk James Ratib had earlier warned that the freeze could deter contract doctors from continuing their service in remote areas of Sabah, where public infrastructure remains underdeveloped compared to urban centres.
There are currently some 4,000 government doctors serving in Sabah. – DayakDaily
