KUCHING: Sarawak currently has 4,600 doctors serving throughout the state, but most of them are not Sarawakians.

Sarawak Deputy Premier, Datuk Amar Professor Dr Sim Kui Hian, said that of the total, 4,000 doctors work under the Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH) while the other 600 work in the private sector.

“We only have 4,600 doctors in Sarawak. A total of 4,000 doctors are under the MOH, while 659 are in the private sector based on the latest statistics.

"These private doctors are not only in clinics but also in private hospitals," he said.

He said this when officiating the Opening Ceremony of Sarawak Malaysia Medical Association (MMA) and Society of Private Medical Practitioners of Sarawak (SPMPS) Office here on Wednesday.

Datuk Amar Dr Sim stressed that the issue of the shortage of local doctors needs to be given serious attention, especially when the majority of doctors serving in the state are not from Sarawak.

"Although the number of doctors is small, which is only 4,000, the majority are not Sarawakians. That is why we want to address this issue," he said.

Therefore, he called for increased efforts to produce more local doctors to ensure that the health needs of Sarawakians can be better met in the future.-UKASnews