Sabah RCI: 'Influx of migrants a burden on Sabah health services'

The Sabah Health Department considers the influx of migrants into the state a "threat to national security" and a "burden" to the state health services.

The department's deputy director for the contagious diseases division, Dr Maria Sulaiman, said treatment provided to foreigners was taking up resources which "can be used to treat the locals".

Testifying before the royal commission of inquiry on immigrants in Sabah, Maria said the fees outsanding from foreign patients treated at government hospitals and clinics from 2007 to 2012 totalled a whopping RM21.7 million.

In contrast, Malaysians during the same period owed the government hospitals and clinics about RM7 million in outstanding

Maria said the department spent RM200,000 in 2011 to control measles outbreak among foreigners in Kinabatangan and Beluran. Outbreaks of measles, cholera, leprosy and viral hepatitis were "common" among non-citizens.

The 75th witness to testify before the RCI, Maria said Sabah's hospitals treated 1.3 million foreigners as inpatients and outpatients from 2000 to 2011.

122,882 non-citizen births between 2000-11

In the same period, 122,882 non-citizen births took place in government hospitals, with a quarter of babies born in these hospitals in 2011 being born to non-citizen parents.

"This is very worrying," said the doctor who has served in the medical service in Sabah for 22 years.

Testifying at the RCI being held at the Kota Kinabalu High Court complex, Maria said her department also has the total amount spent to treat non-citizen patients, including undocumented migrants, but she did not have them at hand and will need to appear again to reveal this.

She said most non-citizens who received outpatient treatment were Indonesians, with Filipinos trailing close behind.

In 2010 and 2011, 54,283 Indonesians and 45,790 Filipinos received treatment at Sabah government hospitals.

"The numbers (of foreign patients) are very high... and there is a severe shortage of space in the hospitals.

"Our paid occupancy rates are very high, to the extent that we have to set up camp beds as there are not enough beds for inpatients," Maria said.

'We're obliged to treat all patients'

From 2007 to 2011, a total of 491,071 non-citizen pregnant women and 472,452 children with non-citizen parents attended government clinics.

"This is of much concern, for our clinical staff also do house visits and it is a great burden to treat them all, including providing childbirth services at home," she said.

While some non-citizens produced passports or working permits as identification, many of the patients were undocumented.

They would, however, provide contact details upon registration.

"But when we try to contact them at the address and phone numbers to collect the fees due, they are either no longer there or the numbers are not in service," she said.

Maria said a Sabah Health Department circular in 2001 instructed the medical officers to report to the police when an undocumented migrant sought treatment.

'We report, but no action is taken'

"We still do report but no action is taken," she said, noting that the hospitals and clinics were obliged to attend to all patients, even if they were undocumented or have not paid their outstanding fees.

It is this circular, read out by RCI panel chairperson Steve Shim (left), that refers to the migrant influx as a "threat to national security".

Asked by Shim if the department still holds this view, Maria said: "Yes."

She rejected a suggestion by watching brief lawyer John Sinkuyan that the clinics and hospitals turn away foreign patients with outstanding fees.

"If we don't treat them at that point, they will become worse and the next time they come back they will need intensive care, which is very expensive," she said.

"The influx of migrants into Sabah is a national issue and the government needs to do something so as to not deny citizens their right to medical care."

Aidila Razak