RANAU: The number of medical officers at Ranau Hospital has been increased to 16 to meet current needs and enhance the hospital’s service capacity, particularly in the Outpatient Department (JPL).
According to Ranau Member of Parliament, Datuk Jonathan Yasin, the shortage of medical officers due to staff relocation has been one of the primary causes of constraints in the clinical workflow at the hospital.
He noted that the issue of long waiting times for consultations and treatments in the JPL was first identified in October 2025.
“Overall, by that time, Ranau Hospital was facing a shortage of nine medical officers compared to the required staffing levels,” he said.
“On average, only two to four medical officers were on duty in the JPL per day, and they were also responsible for handling emergency cases, overseeing specialist clinics, accompanying patients to referral hospitals, and performing other duties, including post-call shifts. This workload contributed to the prolonged waiting times for patients.”
However, Jonathan also highlighted that the waiting time for bed admissions from the Emergency Department at Ranau Hospital from 2022 to 2025 remained within the established target of under 240 minutes (four hours).
Meanwhile, a key responsiveness indicator, the percentage of patients seen within 90 minutes at specialist clinics, reached 92.17 per cent, meeting the hospital’s goal.
Jonathan received this data through the Notice of Questions at the First Meeting, Fifth Term of the Fifteenth Parliament of 2026.
In his questions to the Minister of Health, Jonathan sought clarification on the long waiting periods reported by patients seeking treatment at Ranau Hospital and requested an explanation of the Ministry’s actions to resolve the issue.
As a corrective measure, the Ministry of Health has now increased the number of medical officers at Ranau Hospital to 16 to better address current needs and improve service delivery, especially in the JPL. This move is aimed at ensuring more efficient and higher-quality care for patients.
Jonathan further mentioned that the Sabah State Health Department had taken steps to ensure safe working hours for health staff, in response to concerns about excessive continuous working hours.
The department has instructed the hospital to reorganize duty schedules and optimize workload distribution to improve both staff well-being and patient care.
Internally, the hospital has implemented measures such as a block appointment system for repeat patients in the JPL, which assigns specific times for consultations.
However, Jonathan noted that for patients living in remote areas who rely on public transport, delays beyond their control might still occur.
To address this, the hospital has worked to set realistic appointment slots and informed patients that late arrivals could lead to longer waiting times, managing expectations more effectively.
According to Jonathan, the immediate actions taken by JKN Sabah and the hospital have contributed to reducing waiting times and improving patient flow at Ranau Hospital.
Earlier, concerns about extreme congestion, slow registration, and long waiting times at Ranau Hospital had prompted swift action from the Minister of Health, Dzulkefly Ahmad.
He ordered the implementation of corrective measures to alleviate the pressure on patients in the region, particularly in this remote district.
Dzulkefly said that the Sabah Health Department, alongside the hospital management, had been instructed to implement operational improvements, which included mobilising additional medical officers to complement the existing 16 doctors.
Key directives also included the early opening of registration counters and continuous clinic operations without breaks to ensure all patients were treated without delay.
“To streamline patient flow, a new scheduling system was introduced, prioritizing out-of-town residents in the morning slots due to their dependence on public transport, while local residents were assigned to afternoon appointments to avoid overcrowding,” he said in a written response to the Ranau MP.
He also warned that incidents such as the counter closing early at 8.30am should never happen again. The hospital director was instructed to monitor the situation closely by visiting the counter every morning, ensuring the staff were present and operational.
Commenting on the earlier management shortcomings, Dzulkefly deemed the situation in which only two doctors were available in the outpatient department on February 3 as unacceptable.
An immediate audit and adjustment of doctor and specialist schedules was ordered to prevent further disruptions in daily services.
“I will personally monitor the implementation of all these measures,” he assured. “I would like to thank the Ranau MP for being the voice of the people in the region.”
The recent developments underscore the continuing pressure from Sabah’s elected representatives, who have successfully pushed for urgent intervention by the Federal Government.
This has instilled new hope for the people of Ranau, ensuring that health issues in the interior are no longer overlooked and reinforcing the strength of the public health service.
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