Cutting regional incentive allowance could cripple already strained healthcare system, warns deputy minister
by Churchill Edward · Borneo Post OnlineKUCHING (Dec 23): Reducing regional incentive allowances for healthcare personnel serving in Sabah and Sarawak could severely undermine healthcare delivery in the state, particularly in rural areas and the interior, said Datuk Michael Tiang.
The Deputy Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government said the federal government’s proposal if implemented would have direct and adverse consequences on Sarawak’s already strained healthcare system.
“Sarawak faces unique structural and geographical realities that are fundamentally different from those in the Peninsula, such as vast distances, remote and hard-to-reach communities, limited transport and infrastructure in the interior, high living costs in certain postings and professional isolation experienced by medical officers and specialists.
“The regional incentive allowance was never intended as a privilege, but has long served as a necessary policy to attract, retain, and sustain healthcare professionals in postings where service conditions are objectively more demanding,” he said in a statement.
“Reducing incentives at a time when doctor shortages remain unresolved, public hospitals are operating under mounting pressure, and specialist recruitment in Sarawak is already difficult would only accelerate attrition, discourage new postings, and ultimately compromise patient care.”
Highlighting the severity of the situation, Tiang pointed out that during the October 2025 permanent appointment intake, 293 out of 542 medical officers allocated to Sarawak did not report for duty.
“This high no-show rate is largely driven by policy decisions that overlook the real challenges on the ground, including the absence of transfer allowances, which further worsen an already difficult situation,” he said.
Tiang said the issue extended beyond manpower concerns, and posed a broader public health risk with rural and vulnerable populations likely to be most affected by any further erosion of incentives.
“In the spirit and intent of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government has been championing healthcare autonomy to close longstanding and historical gaps in healthcare access in the region.
“Healthcare autonomy would enable Sarawak to design and implement more effective and sustainable healthcare policies that genuinely reflect local needs and realities,” he said.
He said healthcare workers in Sabah and Sarawak deserved recognition, support and fairness, not policies that penalised them for serving where the need was greatest.