PETALING JAYA: The Health Ministry has received the biggest bump among all ministries with an increase of RM4.89bil in Budget 2024.
A significant chunk will go into healthcare needs and upgrading facilities including rundown clinics.
While tabling Budget 2024, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the ministry will receive RM41.22bil, up from RM36.33bil last year.
He promised several development projects will begin next year.
Public health expert Datuk Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar said that this is the biggest and best Budget that had gone to the Health Ministry so far.
“Although it focuses on facilities maintenance and construction, there are two important points – the shift from treatment to prevention such as early screening for cancers, NCDs and provision of primary care services, and the Madani Medical Scheme,” he said.
Dr Zainal said it is high time that rundown clinics in rural areas, made of wooden structures with poor water supply and electricity, are upgraded.
“If possible, some of these clinics should be upgraded into better facilities with more staff members and basic lab facilities,” he said.
A total of RM300mil will be allocated to upgrade 400 rundown clinics including those with wooden structures and old wiring.
Dr Zainal said it was disappointing that human resource issues were not mentioned in the Prime Minister’s Budget 2024 speech, with no allocation announced for hiring.
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia health economics and public health specialist Prof Dr Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh said the health budget will never be enough.
She said with the existing brain drain situation, focus should have been given to the human resource aspect.
“Better clinics will need good, trained staffers and specialists, and these are always not enough – especially those trained in mental health treatment and geriatric care. This will be a continuous issue,” she added.
Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Dr Azizan Abdul Aziz welcomed the announcement on the salary and allowance schemes for civil servants who are permanent staff members.
“We are delighted to hear that the salary and allowance schemes for permanent staffers, which should include public healthcare workers, will be finally reviewed after more than 10 years.
“In MMA’s statement issued recently, we had stated how important remuneration is as a motivating factor and as a means to retain the services of healthcare workers in the system,” she said.
“Overall, there are a number of good initiatives included in the budget for health – however, our main concern is the issue of human resource planning and development, which isn’t satisfactorily being addressed in Budget 2024.
“We are pleased to hear that the Madani Medical Scheme will be expanded. However, it is hoped that the scheme would include non-communicable disease (NCD) management as it will encourage higher participation from private GPs (general practitioners) and as a result, significantly reduce overcrowding at public healthcare facilities.
“The well distributed 13,000 private GPs can also improve access to health services under initiatives like the Madani Medical Scheme,” added Dr Azizan.
She also called for more information on the government’s plans to support the setting up of a Cancer Institute in Sarawak as well as its plans on equipping the centre with the expertise needed as this may involve long-term human resource planning and development of specialists.
“Apart from Sarawak, the northern region in Peninsular Malaysia is also in need of a cancer institute. There are gaps in healthcare infrastructure in the northern region of the peninsula that also need to be addressed.
“We also urge the government to ensure transparency with the listing of the 400 dilapidated clinics that will be repaired,” she said.
