
Law reviews underway to tackle rising private healthcare costs: PM
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the Health Ministry is refining the legal framework to support the implementation of the Reset strategy, including adopting the Diagnosis-Related Group (DRG) payment system.
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The Star
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'Cancer tax' proposed for tobacco, vape, and alcohol under 13MP
PETALING JAYA: The pro-health taxes announced under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) should be branded as a 'cancer tax,' according to the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP). 'CAP congratulates the Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) for announcing taxes on tobacco, vape, and alcohol products,' CAP education officer N.V Subbarow said in a statement on Thursday (July 31). "We must call this a cancer tax,' he added. Subbarow stated that these taxes will help curb the rise of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and will discourage the younger generation from developing habits detrimental to health. "CAP is happy with the prime minister's concern and his firmness on addressing health issues,' he added. Anwar announced that pro-health taxes would be expanded from sugar to include products such as tobacco, vaping, and alcohol to curb the alarming increase in NCDs.


New Straits Times
an hour ago
- New Straits Times
Dzulkefly: One placement option in Sabah or Sarawak now compulsory for medical officers
KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry (MOH) has made it mandatory for contract medical officers appointed to permanent positions to select at least one placement option in Sabah or Sarawak through the e-Placement 2.0 system, to address the uneven distribution of healthcare personnel between Peninsular Malaysia and the Borneo states. Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said this approach, which has never been implemented before, reflects the government's strong commitment to narrowing the gap in the placement of specialists, doctors, and nurses in the country. "It is mandatory that one of the three choices must be a placement in Sabah or Sarawak, which has never been done before," said Dzulkefly during the oral question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today. He was responding to Datuk Dr Richard Rapu (GPS-Betong), who asked about measures taken by the government to reduce the imbalance in the distribution of healthcare human resources between Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, and Sarawak, particularly concerning the placement of specialists, doctors, and nurses. Dzulkefly said the ministry had also set placement quotas for permanent medical officers - 650 in Sarawak and 310 in Sabah - representing 42.7 per cent of the 2,248 officers recently appointed nationwide. In addition, he said a total of 1,002 contract medical officers had been placed in Sabah and 937 in Sarawak as of March 31, to meet the growing workforce demands at public health facilities in both states. As part of long-term efforts, he added that MOH supports state governments' initiatives to offer scholarships for medical and health studies, and to provide additional merit points for those serving in Sabah and Sarawak, particularly in remote and interior areas. "This merit serves as a weightage, an added score in evaluating candidates for scholarship selection," he said. Replying to a supplementary question from Richard on strategies to retain medical officers in the public sector, Dzulkefly said one key measure was the absorption of contract officers into permanent positions. "Over the past three years, we have successfully absorbed more than 13,552 contract medical officers into permanent roles," he said. He said the effort aligns with recent amendments to the Medical Act, which now recognise the Parallel Pathway and local Master's programmes, an initiative aimed at encouraging doctors to remain in public service.– Bernama


Malaysiakini
an hour ago
- Malaysiakini
RM40b for healthcare reform under 13MP
The federal government has allocated RM40 billion under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) 2026 to 2030 to implement wide-ranging reforms in the healthcare sector, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced today. He said the healthcare reform agenda is a vital government initiative to ensure sustainable health financing while expanding access to quality and affordable healthcare services for...