MORE than 9,000 contract doctors will be offered permanent positions in 2027, with the government saying medical graduates who successfully complete their housemanship will thereafter be offered permanent medical officer posts.
The announcement marks a major step in addressing the long-running issue of contract appointments in the public healthcare system.
Since 2023, the government has appointed more than 15,000 contract doctors permanently, including 4,000 this year.
To recognise the work of 47,000 paramedics and nurses, the monthly post-basic incentive will be doubled from RM100 to RM200.
The government will also raise the air healthcare service incentive from RM30 to RM100 following the fatal helicopter crash involving the Air Medical Service in Long Lellang, which claimed the lives of frontline personnel.
To reduce patient waiting times, the allocation for outsourcing patients to other hospitals will rise to RM200 million. The programme will be expanded to include private healthcare facilities, including the use of private operating theatres by the public sector.
More flexible sessional arrangements will also be introduced for retired government specialists and private-sector specialists, while the programme's scope will be expanded to cover expanded newborn screening, prenatal genetic testing and rehabilitation services.
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission will continue implementing electronic medical record systems at healthcare facilities nationwide, backed by RM1 billion in investment.
From January 2027, the government will introduce the affordable MediAsas medical plan, under which hospital charges will be based on diagnosis and treatment categories to make costs more predictable and manageable.
Transparency in private healthcare charges will also be strengthened. Private hospital bills will use standardised charge categories from 2027, while electronic medical records will be expanded under a one-person, one-record principle.
The e-CKAPS portal will enable private healthcare facility licensing to be handled entirely online from 2027, with processing times targeted to fall by up to 65 per cent.
For lower-income households, the Medical Assistance Fund allocation will increase to RM60 million from RM40 million.
The PeKa B40 programme, with an allocation of RM80 million, will offer free health screenings, medical equipment assistance and cancer treatment incentives to STR recipients and their spouses aged 40 and above.
MySalam will continue in 2027. Since its introduction, the scheme has benefited 1.6 million people, with claims totalling RM1.3 billion.
The BuAi programme will provide affordable fertility treatment to 2,000 couples and men's wellness services to 42,000 individuals. Free thalassaemia screening will also be extended to the spouses and children of carriers to reduce the risk of babies being born with thalassaemia major.
The government will build nine new healthcare facilities, including a specialist clinic and day-treatment complex at Hospital Sultanah Aminah in Johor, a dental specialist centre in Kuching, an integrated health complex in Gerik, Perak, and another in Rembau, Negeri Sembilan.
A total of RM1.2 billion will be allocated to maintain and repair public hospitals and clinics, including upgrading the remaining dilapidated clinics.
More than RM770 million will be provided for advanced medical equipment to speed up diagnosis and treatment. The allocation includes upgrading haemodialysis facilities at hospitals nationwide and purchasing 400 new ambulances for Health Ministry hospitals to improve emergency response.
Hospital Pakar Universiti Sains Malaysia will receive robotic surgery technology to expand treatment access for patients in the east coast and northern peninsula.
Meanwhile, 18 Health Ministry training institutes will receive clinical simulation and basic science laboratory equipment to improve the skills of more than 20,000 trainees and medical and paramedical personnel.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim also announced that the government has agreed to increase the air health service incentive payment from RM30 to RM100.
"We are deeply saddened by the Flying Doctor Service helicopter crash tragedy in Long Lellang that claimed the lives of frontline personnel," he said.
Last September, five victims lost their lives after the BO-105 helicopter they were travelling in crashed in Long Lellang, Miri.
The five victims comprised the pilot, Captain Zainol Afiq Bee Sham, 30, and four Ministry of Health personnel: Dr. Ainul Baraah Kamaruddin, 33, Alexson Adit Henry, 31, Debra Moset, 40, and Jessie Paya Jok, 44.
Anwar added that, in recognition of the 47,000 paramedics and nurses who shoulder significant responsibilities in the field, the basic posting incentive payment rate would be raised from RM100 to RM200 per month. - October 9, 2026
