“Certainly, allowances and incentives are among the factors behind this situation. Therefore, the committee hopes that the MOH will consider this proposal,” she said. 

The Bentong Member of Parliament said this when winding up the debate on the committee’s report on its working visit to Sabah, ‘Strengthening Healthcare Service Delivery and Health Facilities’, in the Dewan Rakyat today. 

Young Syefura said the committee also proposed that mobile services be implemented by networks of hospitals, health clinics and dental clinics to ensure they are easily accessible to the people. 

“Sabah has its own geographical conditions, population distribution and patterns of service needs. Therefore, health planning must be guided by the actual situation on the ground and the needs of each area, rather than relying solely on a uniform approach,” she said. 

On delays in the Papar Hospital upgrading project, Young Syefura said the committee stressed the importance of controlling extensions of time (EOT), taking action against problematic contractors and evaluating performance records as part of project governance to ensure the project could be completed. 

Earlier, committee chairman Suhaizan Kaiat (PH-Pulai), during the briefing session, said the Papar Hospital upgrading project had been granted 11 EOTs totalling 2,108 days.

He said the contract of the original contractor had been terminated, and a replacement contractor would be appointed through a new tender. 

During the same session, Suhaizan also presented the committee’s 12 recommendations to enhance the capacity of Sabah’s healthcare system, covering four main aspects, namely facilities, infrastructure and operations; human resources and expertise; prevention, access and digitalisation; as well as development priorities and strategic projects. 

Among the recommendations are prioritising the repair, upgrading, maintenance and replacement of critical health assets and equipment; filling and distributing human resources, as well as developing and retaining expertise; in addition to increasing the capacity of primary healthcare facilities. 

“The challenges in healthcare service delivery in Sabah cannot be addressed through planning alone. They must be translated into completed projects, filled positions, usable assets and services that genuinely reach the people,” he said.

-- BERNAMA