KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 31): It is said that the decades-long underinvestment in Sabah has led to health inequalities, such as the doctor and bed per population as well as health expenditure per population ratios standing much lower than the national averages. The dramatic rise in Covid-19 cases in Sabah within a short period is superimposed on a fragile and under-resourced health system, increasing the risk of the system being overwhelmed.

In the third wave of the Covid-19 outbreak in the country, Sabah emerged as the most infectious state, with the total number of infections overtaking combined total cases in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur in mid-October.

As at Oct 30, it had recorded 14,519 positive cases, making up almost half the total cases in Malaysia.

The situation was so dire that when Semporna emerged as the state’s worst-hit district in mid-October, doctors reportedly dubbed it “Little Wuhan” — the Chinese city where the virus was first detected.

Note that although Sabah was the sixth largest contributor to Malaysia’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2019, its GDP per capita of RM25,326 was the third lowest in the country, just ahead of Kedah’s RM22,412 and Kelantan’s RM14,300.

In 2019, based on the revised poverty line of RM2,208 in monthly income (from RM980 previously), Sabah had the highest poverty rate at 19.5%, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).

The alarming realities of Covid-19 in the state have finally cast a spotlight on the long-standing plight of its medical infrastructure and critical need for development.

Why is Sabah struggling and what should be done?

Read more about it in The Edge Malaysia weekly’s Nov 2 edition.

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