Increased healthcare allocation in Budget 2024 lauded by industry observers

KUALA LUMPUR – The healthcare sector is the big winner in Budget 2024 presented by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in Parliament on Friday not only because it will receive the highest allocation among all ministries, but also as there are pressing matters that the increased funding can help to alleviate.

Datuk Indrani Thuraisingham, the vice-president and legal adviser of the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association (Fomca), said that this is good news as it would mean the budget seeks to be inclusive to ensure universal access to healthcare.

“Since our country has yet to satisfy the ratio of one doctor to 400 patients and in order to leave no one behind, the allocated budget must be implemented efficiently to address the overcrowding of facilities and the further improvement of the healthcare facilities.

“While Fomca welcomes the sourcing out of patients to other medical facilities to control the issue of overcrowding at government hospitals, we hope the government will also allocate funds to consumer groups to carry out long-term and continuous education and awareness programmes to live a healthy lifestyle and a sustainable diet.”

Indrani also said that it is essential to reduce the number of Malaysians who are suffering from non-communicable diseases that can easily be prevented through behaviour and lifestyle change.

It would stem the problem of overcrowded government hospitals, she added.

On the issue of digital health records, Fomca reiterated that it is the right of the patient to have access to his or her health data while the healthcare fraternity ensures patient confidentiality and facilitates the patient’s right to give explicit informed consent.

As Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa commented: “Spending for health is an investment. Investing in health determines productivity and promotes economic growth.”

Good usage of funds

Dr Muruga Raj Rajathurai, the current president of the Commonwealth Medical Association, described the budget as a good start to kick off the health white paper.

There is allocation for infrastructure repair and new buildings, including for new machinery. He expressed hope that these would be well used, and the expenditure would be transparent and clear for the public to see.

Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, the former health DG, noted that the budget for healthcare increased by 13.5% compared to what was set aside last year.

He said that this is a good start to increase the budget in stages so as to reach 4% in public sector from the current 2.2%.

An experienced medical doctor who practises in public health and wants to remain anonymous commented that there is an urgent need to upgrade medical equipment. Many of these have reached a point of “beyond economic repair” (BER).

It would be a definite game changer for many facilities if this happens.

It is hoped that even the next budget will have an allocation for this as it will definitely help with patient safety and ensure that equipment is up to the mark in delivering healthcare at the highest possible standard.

This doctor also added that the civil service will adapt to these new allocations and ensure that the equipment is quickly procured to help healthcare delivery.

With the latest proposals for budget increase in healthcare, the overall prediction is that our world-class healthcare will only get better and have a stronger reach, while also enhancing life expectancy and care for those among us who need it the most. – The Vibes, October 15, 2023