Thousands Of Malaysian Doctors Just Got Permanent Jobs — And Then Did Not Show Up
Malaysia appointed over 4,000 doctors to permanent government posts on Monday (28 September), and up to three-quarters of them did not report for duty — with at least four East Malaysian hospitals receiving zero new staff.
- Over 70% of 4,255 newly appointed Malaysian doctors failed to report for their permanent government postings on 28 September.
- Flat-rate regional incentives and lack of upfront relocation support made East Malaysia postings financially unattractive, driving mass no-shows.
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The jobs were permanent, the salaries were confirmed, and the postings were issued.
On Monday (28 Sep), over 4,000 Malaysian doctors were due to report for their first day as permanent government medical officers — and most of them did not walk through the door.
Ground reports cited by CodeBlue, a healthcare news outlet, indicate that between 70 and 76 per cent of newly appointed Grade UD10 medical officers failed to report to their assigned postings on the designated date.
At least four hospitals in Sabah and Sarawak — Beluran, Keningau, and Sipitang in Sabah, and Kanowit in Sarawak — recorded zero arrivals.
The Ministry of Health (KKM), in a statement issued on Thursday (1 October), confirmed that the reporting process for Phase 2 permanent appointments “is still ongoing” and urged all remaining officers to report to their respective Centres of Responsibility by 7 October.
The ministry also urged “all parties not to jump to conclusions.”
A total of 4,255 medical officers were offered placements under Phase 2 through the government’s ePlacement system, effective 28 September.
The Posting, Not The Job, Appears To Be The Problem
The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) pointed to the financial calculus behind the no-shows.
The current fixed regional incentive structure, the MMA noted, has reduced the financial appeal of postings in East Malaysia — a region that has historically recorded the highest rejection rates due to geographical remoteness and limited infrastructure.
For doctors who spent years on contract status lobbying for permanent appointments, the decision to walk away on day one of permanency signals that the terms attached to that permanency were, for many, a dealbreaker.
District hospitals in Sabah and Sarawak have no private alternatives down the road.
A zero-arrival rate at Beluran or Kanowit is not a staffing statistic — it is a ward that opens understaffed, a clinic that runs short, a patient who waits longer.
The MMA has called for upfront relocation allowances and the restoration of progressive regional incentives. No government response to those specific demands has been issued as of publication.
CodeBlue’s ground-level reporting preceded the KKM’s official statement by at least a day — the ministry’s public communication arriving after the scale of the no-shows had already entered the news cycle.
The 7 October deadline now stands as the next indicator of how many of the 4,255 appointed officers will ultimately take up their posts — and how many will not.
This Was Not Unpredicted.
In July 2026, Deputy Health Minister Datuk Hanifah Hajar Taib publicly forecast a 50 per cent no-show rate for Borneo placements.
The final figure, by ground accounts, ran considerably higher.
The financial architecture behind the exodus has taken years to build.
The government previously replaced the progressive, percentage-based Bayaran Insentif Wilayah — a regional allowance calibrated to offset East Malaysia’s higher cost of living — with a flat-rate structure.
MMA has consistently flagged that the substitution eroded the financial case for accepting remote postings.
Relocation support compounded the problem.
Contract officers transitioning to permanent status were historically barred from claiming relocation expenses due to a technical “disruption of service” between employment tiers — leaving doctors to fund cross-South China Sea moves from personal savings.
KKM adjusted the timeline in 2026 to widen access to those allowances, but the MMA notes that upfront disbursement ahead of the move remains the exception, not the rule.
The ePlacement system required doctors to list at least one Sabah or Sarawak facility among their top three preferences — and when the algorithm assigned them there, many chose to leave public service altogether rather than go.
Permanency, it turns out, is only as attractive as the conditions attached to it.
@ekonomirakyatmy Kenapa Ramai Doktor Tak Nak Lapor Diri Ke Sabah dan Sarawak ” Ramai yang jadi doktor, tak tahu apa niat nak jadi doktor. Sebab kalau you kata you tak nak pergi Sabah dan Sarawak untuk permulaan dalam karier…. Saya akan menyalahkan mentaliti ” – @moven7886
♬ original sound – Ekonomi Rakyat – Ekonomi Rakyat
READ MORE: Malaysian Doctor Considers Resignation Over Remote Posting To Sabah
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