KUALA LUMPUR: The government should review spending in less critical sectors if fiscal adjustments are to be implemented without compromising essential services such as healthcare, following proposed RM3.06 billion budget cuts to the Ministry of Health (MOH).
Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM) president Ahmad Fahmi Mohd Samsudin said that the public health sector was an essential service that must continue to be protected, as any reduction, even if labelled non-critical, could affect operational efficiency and the overall quality of healthcare services.
“Public health should not be treated as an easy target for fiscal savings. It is a strategic national investment, and failure to protect it will have far greater implications for the people and the country,” he said in a statement today.
Ahmad Fahmi said that the public health system was currently under pressure, with overcrowded facilities, an increase in non-communicable diseases and a shortage of manpower, in addition to concerns over the welfare of health workers.
He said that the growing issues of fatigue, workload and the migration of skilled workers indicated that any reduction in health allocations could further aggravate the situation.
“Cutting allocations in this situation will only increase pressure and further weaken an already fragile system,” he said.
Ahmad Fahmi stressed that transparency was crucial, as it would allow the government to provide detailed explanations on the scope of the cuts, the implementation timeline and mitigation measures to ensure health services were not affected.
At the same time, he urged the MOH to come up with a more aggressive and proactive intervention plan to address current challenges.
In the medium and long term, he said that the government needed to accelerate the implementation of health system reforms as outlined in the Health White Paper, including strengthening strategic collaboration with the private sector to optimise capacity and reduce pressure on the public healthcare system.
“Without clear and bold reform measures, the country’s health system will continue to be vulnerable to recurring crises,” he said.
On April 30, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the government’s adjustment to operating expenditure would not affect essential healthcare services, including treatment, emergency care and the supply of medicines.
He said the discussions involved only proposed adjustments to operating expenditure, and not finalised cuts, while also assuring that basic health services, patient treatment, emergency care and medicine supplies would remain unaffected. – BERNAMA
