PETALING JAYA: More clarity is needed on the announcement of 1,500 positions for medical officers, dentists and pharmacists, says the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA).
“The RM3.9bil increase is a commendable commitment from the government. It shows the government understands the need for a stronger commitment and investment in health.
“Implementation is crucial. Health policies are all about central policy & local implementation,” said president Dr Muruga Raj Rajathurai.
He said that however, the number of new permanent and contract posts that would be created did fall short of expectations given that there were shortages in manpower and a high number of contract doctors in the system.
“MMA is aware the Health Minister has been lobbying with the Finance Ministry and Public Service Department for an increase in permanent positions.
“It needs to be noted that although this year’s budget is higher than last year’s, the pandemic is now well under control, therefore we believe more funds should be available for utilisation,” he added.
Commenting on the Madani Health scheme, he said the move which encouraged a public-private collaboration was the way forward to decongest the system.
“We await more details and look forward to the smooth implementation of this programme,” he said.
Dr Muruga also welcomed allocations to repair and upgrade public healthcare facilities. However, he said there must be transparency in the spending and follow-up to ensure it was well implemented.
“We hope there will be a breakdown provided on the allocations for each healthcare facility and a timeline for its projected completion. These details should be put up in the public domain.
“The MMA also applauds the government’s move to channel revenue from excise duty on nicotine liquid and gels for e-cigarette and vaping products, to the Health Ministry and its plans to properly regulate the e-cigarette and vape industry,” he added.
The Health Ministry got an additional RM200mil in allocation under the revised Budget 2023, bringing the total allocation for the ministry to RM36.3bil.
The ministry received RM36.1bil under the spending plan tabled by the previous government in Oct last year and RM32.4bil under Budget 2022. It also received the highest jump in allocation from Budget 2022.
In tabling the Budget 2023, Prime Minister cum Finance Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said a bulk of the allocation would be mainly used for the procurement of medicines, reagents, vaccines and disposables.
Meanwhile, RM3bil will be allocated for the appointment of 1,500 medical officers, dentists and pharmacists for permanent and contract positions.
Anwar also announced a slew of measures to address congestion at government hospitals which includes optimising public health capacity by outsourcing patients from congested hospitals to university, army and private hospitals.
A total of RM120mil will be allocated for the Madani Health Scheme for the poor to receive treatment at general practitioner (GP) clinics.
Another RM700mil will be allocated for the construction of a women and children wing with a capacity of 476 beds at the Melaka Hospital, while hospitals that are a hundred years old namely the Kuala Kangsar, Jelebu, and Pontian hospitals will be upgraded and refurbished.
Health scheme for the lower income, Peka B40 will be further strengthened with an allocation of RM80mil. The scheme will now include diabetes screening.