RM500mil cap can allow health ministry to sustain essential services, says expert

PETALING JAYA: The government’s decision to limit the health ministry’s operating expenditure to RM500 million could give the ministry room to ensure essential healthcare services continue uninterrupted, according to a public health expert.

Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar said any cost-cutting measures must take into account their direct impact on patients, hospital and clinic operations, medicine supplies, and staffing needs.

“If it is true that the freeze only involves unused allocations, then it is acceptable.

“The important thing is that the ministry can continue its daily operations for patients. We also hope this measure will not affect future recruitment to fill the vacancies that are needed,” he told FMT.

On Thursday, the ministry clarified that the operating expenditure freeze ordered by the finance ministry on June 5 amounted to RM500 million, not RM3.06 billion as claimed by some parties.

The ministry said the RM3.06 billion figure was merely an initial savings estimate based on the finance ministry’s calculations, while the final freeze was set at RM500 million.

The health ministry also said the freeze would not affect hospital and clinic operations, the procurement of medicines, vaccines and medical supplies, or the 18,641 positions approved by the public service department.

Zainal said the assurance was important to ease the people’s concern, particularly as public healthcare services depend on uninterrupted daily operations and adequate medical supplies.

He said the government’s decision to proceed with the appointment of more than 18,000 healthcare workers and increase the medicines allocation to RM6.5 billion this year also showed that the fundamentals of the healthcare system remained protected.

“This is a positive step because healthcare services continue to be given priority. What is important now is the implementation at the hospital and clinic level so that patients do not experience any disruption,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) urged the government to continue making public welfare the primary consideration in all decisions related to healthcare funding.

Its CEO, T Saravanan, said savings measures should be implemented carefully to avoid longer waiting times, medicine shortages, reduced services, or additional burden on healthcare workers.

“Every decision involving healthcare funding should be assessed based on its impact on the well-being of the people, and not solely on fiscal considerations,” he said.