PETALING JAYA:
Doctors’ groups in Sabah and Sarawak have warned that cutting the regional incentive payment (BIW) allowance risks discouraging doctors from taking up postings in East Malaysia.
In separate statements, the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) branches in the two Borneo states said this would exacerbate staffing problems in hospitals and clinics.
Sarawak MMA chief Dr Ong Eng-Joe called for the federal government to provide transfer allowances for contract doctors posted from Peninsular Malaysia, citing high relocation costs for air travel and freight that can run into thousands of ringgit.
“Young doctors at the lower end of the pay scale, with loans to repay, parents/younger siblings to be supported financially, would be imposed an…