By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, March 7: More than 800 nurses from Sarawak currently serving outside the State are eager to return and work in their hometowns.
In a TVS news report, Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian highlighted that job vacancies in Sarawak could accommodate their return.
He emphasised that the placement of healthcare personnel is one of the key issues being discussed between the Sarawak and federal governments under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
“This is why we want to manage our own healthcare system rather than wait for placement decisions from the federal government. This issue is part of the MA63 discussions so that we can make independent decisions.
“We understand that most of them prefer to work in their home state. Returning home is also more affordable, and the difference is significant,” he told reporters after launching the 2025 Sarawak-Level National Influenza Immunisation Programme for Senior Citizens at Batu Kawah Health Clinic today.
Dr Sim, who is also Minister of Public Health, Housing, and Local Government, added that with health autonomy, the Sarawak government could offer better incentives and a more conducive working environment to retain local healthcare workers.
He stressed that this is especially crucial as countries like the Netherlands and Switzerland are offering higher salaries to attract healthcare professionals.
“With health autonomy, we can decide how to pay our nurses, provide subsidies, and offer benefits—potentially even better than what is currently provided by the federal government,” he said.
On March 3, Deputy Health Minister Dato Lukanisman Awang Sauni stated that the placement of nurses outside their home states was one of the key reasons some chose to leave the Ministry of Health (MOH) service.
Lukanisman noted that this has become a challenge for the ministry, as nurse placements are determined based on each state’s needs.
He added that 1,754 nurses had resigned from the MOH over the past five years, with 27.98 percent citing personal reasons for their departure. — DayakDaily
