Subramaniam surveying the medical facilities at QEH I.
KOTA KINABALU: The government is mulling a proposal to provide special incentive for doctors to serve in Sabah, said Health Minister Datuk Seri S Subramaniam.
He said the ministry was discussing with the Public Services Department (JPA) to have the agency conduct a study on how the existing incentive structure for doctors can be reviewed to provide better perks to those serving in the state.
He said the move was needed to help address the shortage of doctors in Sabah, which has remained critical.
“The ministry is trying to get more doctors who can serve in Sabah as well Sarawak,” he said, noting that there were some 700 physicians currently serving in Sabah and the state needed another 600 to cope with its increasing population.
Speaking to reporters after visiting Queen Elizabeth Hospital I here yesterday, Subramaniam said the ministry also suggested for universities in Sabah to provide programmes for specialist doctors.
He said this would effectively help increase the number of doctors in the state as these medical students could serve at the hospitals while undergoing their training.
He noted there were presently only three universities in the country offering such programmes, namely Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).
“The government is always trying through various means to ensure that demand for medical experts in Sabah were met, in addition to continuously improving the healthcare facilities and infrastructure in the state,” he said.
On a related note, he said the new building at QEH I was 98 per cent completed and contractors were expected to finish all remaining works by June.
He said the RM365 million infrastructure constructed to replace the old ‘twin tower’ building was being fitted with medical equipment and other supporting facilities costing RM120 million.
He said QEH I was currently providing 931 hospital beds making it the biggest hospital in the city, while QEH II and Sabah Women and Children Hospital in Likas has a combined capacity of 1,500 beds.
Meanwhile, on the H7N9 case in Sabah, he said no new infection was detected after a tourist from China tested positive for the virus and was warded at a local medical facility.
The Health Department also did not detect any new cases of H1N1, he added.