By Olivia Miwil
KOTA KINABALU: Concerns have been raised over a proposal by the Finance Ministry to reduce government operational expenditure, including allocations affecting the Health Ministry, amid Sabah's severe shortage of doctors.
Parti Warisan health bureau head Dr Istefan Koh said the proposed cuts present a policy contradiction, given the strain already faced by the public healthcare system.
The issue is particularly acute in Sabah, which is currently facing a shortage of 4,526 doctors.
"With an estimated requirement of over 9,000 doctors and a doctor-to-population ratio of about 1:775 — far below the national target of 1:400 — access to healthcare services, especially in rural and remote areas, remains a major concern.
"The proposal by the Finance Ministry to reduce government operational expenditure, including cuts affecting the Health Ministry, raises serious concern when viewed against the current state of the national healthcare system.
"The move, framed as an effort to control 'non-critical expenditure', becomes difficult to justify when the healthcare sector is included within these reductions," he said in a statement.
A few days ago, the Finance Ministry suggested RM5.4 billion in operational expenditure cuts for the health and higher education ministries as part of measures to save government funds amid the impact of the Iran war.
A directive said that RM10 billion could be saved overall, including RM3.06 billion from the Health Ministry, which was allocated a total of RM46.5 billion under this year's budget.
Koh said while the government has assured that essential services will not be affected, the reality on the ground indicates that the public healthcare system is already operating under significant strain, marked by workforce shortages, rising patient loads and the lingering impact of post-pandemic treatment backlogs.
He added that reductions in operational spending are not merely administrative adjustments on paper, as they carry direct consequences for the ability of hospitals and clinics to function effectively.
"The implications of such measures extend beyond the immediate term and risk creating deeper, long-term challenges.
"At the same time, sustained pressure on existing personnel increases the risk of burnout, which in turn may affect the quality and continuity of patient care.
"More fundamentally, a critical question arises as to how the government intends to address the shortage of thousands of doctors in Sabah if healthcare funding is being reduced.
"Without sufficient investment, efforts to recruit and retain healthcare professionals will remain constrained, potentially accelerating the migration of doctors to the private sector or overseas," he said.
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