Dzulkefly: Govt may exempt Sabah, Sarawak doctors from rural allowance freeze
KOTA KINABALU: The Health Ministry will consider exempting medical doctors in Sabah and Sarawak from the freeze on rural allowances.
Its minister, Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, said the issue would be raised at the upcoming cabinet meeting.
The freeze was implemented following the tabling of Budget 2025 as part of the Finance Ministry's fiscal consolidation strategy.
"This issue was raised during my visit here, and we have taken it very seriously.
"We will table the matter at the Cabinet meeting and examine it thoroughly," he said during the handover of 100 haemodialysis machines from the Sabah government to the Health Ministry at Queen Elizabeth Hospital II today.
He was responding to concerns raised by Sabah Community Development and People's Wellbeing Minister Datuk James Ratib yesterday.
James had warned that the freeze could discourage contract doctors from renewing their service in remote parts of Sabah, especially given the lack of basic infrastructure in rural areas compared to urban centres.
There are currently about 4,000 government doctors serving in the state.
Earlier, Dr Dzulkefly said the haemodialysis machines were urgently needed to boost treatment capacity in public health facilities across Sabah.
The number of end-stage renal failure patients seeking treatment at government facilities in the state has increased from 1,831 in 2020 to 2,133 in 2024.
At present, Sabah has 474 haemodialysis machines; of these, only 435 are operational, while 39 are damaged.
The Sabah government has allocated RM8.5 million, including RM4.5 million for the procurement of the machines.
Patients will be exempted from the RM13 fee for using the machines, while those undergoing home-based treatment via the Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD) method will receive a RM100 subsidy from the state government.
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