KOTA KINABALU: There are renewed calls for the Health Ministry to mobilise additional doctors from Peninsular Malaysia to provide immediate relief to Ranau and other critically understaffed facilities across Sabah.
The Sabah branch of the Malaysian Medical Association Sabah Branch (Sabah MMA) made the fresh call following yet another report by online portal CodeBlue, claiming that doctors in the Ranau district were working for 48 to 72 consecutive hours with inadequate rest.
Its Sabah chapter chairman Dr Brandon Patrick Senagang said the report was concerning,
“Behind these reports are colleagues carrying enormous physical and emotional burdens while doing their utmost for their patients.
“Their dedication deserves recognition, but it must be matched with practical support and timely relief. We cannot allow extraordinary personal sacrifice to become the routine basis on which essential healthcare services operate,” he said.
The Sabah Health Department had also issued a statement on Saturday (Oct 31) confirming that Ranau Hospital was now operating with nine doctors, including its director after 19 medical officers were transferred out following the recent permanent appointment exercise.
Only one of seven designated replacements from outside Sabah reported for duty, it said, adding that the department has reported an estimated statewide shortfall of 245 medical officers arising from the exercise, with 67% of outstation replacement candidates not reporting for duty.
Ranau is therefore part of a much wider workforce crisis affecting Sabah, it added.
Dr Brandon said Sabah MMA has been sounding the alarm about the consequences of doctors leaving without adequate replacements because each unfilled position increases the workload and on-call burden of those who remain.
This creates a cycle of exhaustion, burnout and further departures that threatens the continuity of patient care.
Sabah MMA is also receiving reports from doctors at other hospitals across Sabah describing prolonged working hours and increasingly frequent on-call duties, with some considering leaving the service, he said.
“We acknowledge the Sabah Health Department’s efforts to deploy three additional medical officers to Ranau in stages,” said Dr Brandon.
“However, the department has itself recognised that internal mobilisation is difficult because many facilities across Sabah face similar shortages. Relief must therefore be supported at the
national level,” he said.
He urged the ministry to implement an immediate, coordinated programme of temporary deployments from Peninsular Malaysia, prioritising facilities with the most critical staffing gaps and workloads.
Dr Brandon said these deployments should have clear rotation periods, funded travel and accommodation, and adequate operational support.
He said the immediate objective must be to restore reasonable rest, reduce excessive
consecutive duties and prevent further deterioration of an already overstretched workforce.
Sabah MMA also thanked KKM for announcing the special recruitment exercise to fill 750 permanent medical officer vacancies across Sabah and Sarawak but since the proposed reporting date is Feb 15, 2027, the doctors and patients cannot simply wait.