MP13 allocates RM40b to strengthen health sector
THE government will allocate RM40 billion to the healthcare sector under the 13th Malaysia Plan (MP13), with a focus on reducing out-of-pocket costs for the public.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said this includes new initiatives to make healthcare more affordable and accessible across all layers of society.
'The Madani Medical Scheme is one of the government's key efforts to ensure broader, inclusive, quality and affordable access to healthcare for the people,' he told the Dewan Rakyat today.
He said the government will expand pro-health taxes beyond sugary products to include tobacco, vape and alcohol, not only to boost revenue but to address the growing prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
Construction and upgrading of public hospitals and clinics — including those in poor condition — will be ramped up, alongside the development of a national health workforce framework.
This includes measures for pre-service training, licensing and registration, recruitment, placement and career development to ensure talent retention in the sector.
'Health record management will be strengthened as a core of the healthcare system's digitalisation. This effort will enhance the capability for interoperability across health facilities,' he said.
Anwar added that health data interoperability across facilities, empowered by artificial intelligence (AI), would enable more impactful analytics to improve service quality.
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