The newly completed Lawas Hospital is expected to gain more staff and services as human resources become available. Deputy Health Minister Datuk Hanifah Hajar Taib said not all positions have been filled because of current manpower constraints. She said the ministry hopes specialists can eventually be stationed there permanently instead of visiting on a scheduled basis. The 76-bed hospital recorded 14,083 emergency and trauma patients in 2025, while 693 patients were transferred elsewhere, including 440 to Limbang, 151 to Miri and 102 to Kota Kinabalu. Those figures explain why local specialist access remains a work in progress rather than an immediate promise. The hospital has two operating theatres, four high-dependency beds and nine additional haemodialysis machines. More facilities and services will be introduced in phases.