750 doctor posts for Sabah, Sarawak – but who will take entry-level pay grade?

 

The Health Ministry has been urged to reconsider its plan to address Sabah and Sarawak’s chronic shortage of doctors, with two groups representing medical professionals questioning whether its offer of 750 permanent posts is sufficient to meet the states’ needs.

While welcoming the initiative as a step towards resolving the long-standing problem, they expressed doubts over whether the offer would be attractive enough to persuade doctors to take up postings in East Malaysia.

Their main concern was the UD10 grade offered, which is the entry-level grade for medical officers and may not appeal to those who have moved into the private sector or accumulated years of experience.

"Any medical officer who is interested should not let go of this opportunity. This would give them a second chance to serve after having ended their contract employment previously.

"However, the UD10 grade being offered may not be enough given their seniority and years of experience.

"(The Health Ministry) should offer them at least a UD12 grade or above, together with other reasonable and fair salary adjustments and incentives," said Hartal Doktor Kontrak spokesperson Dr Muhammad Yassin.

Yayasan AbiMedik president Dr Shahrizal Azwan Samsudin shared the same view, pointing out that the ministry's contract scheme was introduced many years ago in 2016 and many medical officers under it had left due to uncertainty over their career prospects.

By now, many of them would have pursued specialisation or accumulated considerable working experience, making it unfair to offer them an entry-level grade, he said.

"Perhaps there should be several other pay scales on the table for more senior doctors, because 10 years is a long time," he added.

Unrealistic salary offer

According to a Health Ministry announcement on Thursday, the ministry is conducting a special recruitment exercise to fill permanent medical officer positions in Sabah and Sarawak.

The offer is open to all contract-appointed medical officers who underwent housemanship training between Dec 5, 2016 and Oct 14, 2024, including those whose contracts with the ministry have expired.

A doctor who previously served under the ministry told Malaysiakini that the starting salary for the UD10 grade was RM3,840.

"You cannot expect someone who has served under contract for 10 years to return to the Health Ministry and be paid what they earned when they first started as a medical officer.

"For context, the UD10 grade starts at RM3,840, while doctors in the private sector earn between RM8,000 and RM10,000 a month.

"Do you think any of them would want to return to the Health Ministry?" asked the doctor, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Malaysiakini has reached out to the Health Ministry for comment.

Better incentives needed

Shahrizal urged the ministry to introduce more attractive packages to entice medical officers to serve in Sabah and Sarawak.

He said while some doctors might be interested in returning to the ministry, the likelihood of them volunteering for postings in the Borneo states was low, particularly among those who had settled down in Kuala Lumpur or other urban centres.

Among his suggestions was for the ministry to improve healthcare infrastructure in the two states and offer better financial incentives, including higher regional incentive allowances.

Shahrizal also pointed out that medical officers offered permanent positions might be reluctant to relocate to Sabah and Sarawak due to the high costs involved.

"So, there has to be a better package for Sabah and Sarawak.

"The problem would not be solved just by offering them permanent employment in Sabah or Sarawak. If the package being offered is not attractive enough, it still would not yield a positive impact," he added.

He also urged the ministry to introduce similar recruitment initiatives for nurses and paramedics in Sabah and Sarawak. - Mkini