RM17.26 billion needed to bring Sarawak healthcare facilities on par with West Malaysia

SARAWAK needs RM17.26 billion just to catch up with West Malaysia’s healthcare facilities standard.

Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government, Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian said RM8.98 billion of the amount is for upgrading and repairing hospitals and Klinik Kesihatan in the state, while RM8.28 billion is for building new ones.

Dr Sim said this during his ministerial winding-up speech at the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) today.

He said the figure was shared at a Malaysia Agreement 63 (MA63) meeting.

At the annual MA63 meeting in Kota Kinabalu recently, he said he asked Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to allow Sarawak special recruitment to fill 5,654 vacant posts in the Sarawak Health Department, or 18 per cent of its workforce.

He added that 11,000 more posts of various categories need to be created to be consistent with the Ministry of Health’s norms and standards of staffing, following an audit of seven hospitals in Sarawak by the ministry and the Public Service Department last year.

Recently, Anwar had announced RM47.7 billion for national healthcare in the Budget 2027.

“We are hopeful that a substantial amount would be allocated to Sarawak to alleviate the healthcare facilities and needs here,” Dr Sim said.

Meanwhile, he said the department had received RM2.91 billion in operating funds and RM552.64 million in development funds from the Ministry of Health as of Sept 30.

He said the funds cover operational expenses, human capital development, minor upgrading and repair of health facilities, and hospital and clinic support services, including the procurement of medical equipment.

Dr Sim also noted that Pusat Jantung Sarawak has been ranked among Newsweek’s top 100 Best Specialised Hospitals in Asia Pacific for cardiology since 2023, and that Sarawak General Hospital has been recognised as a top clinical research centre in Malaysia for four consecutive years.

“We are not asking our facilities or human resources to be better than West Malaysia but just to catch up to West Malaysia so that Sarawakians can enjoy the same health facilities and healthcare human resources standards,” he said.