IT is that time of the year when newly appointed government medical doctors in the country report for work to their assigned hospitals or clinics. Based on the latest news reports, there is an alarming rate of no-shows by these doctors when they learn they are being posted to Sabah and Sarawak. The Sabah Malaysian Medical Association chairman Dr Brandon Patrick Senagang was even quoted in the NST as saying the shortage of medical doctors in the state has reached a "breaking point". Of 138 medical officers from outside Sabah expected to report to their postings, he said, only a shocking 47 officers had done so. Sarawak faces a similarly dire doctor shortage, with even the main hospital in Miri, the state's second city, reportedly afflicted. Health Ministry data showed that the number of medical officers who failed to report for permanent appointments rose from 78 out of 3,215 offers in 2022 to 1,118 out of 5,489 offers in 2023. These are rather concerning statistics.