PUTRAJAYA should increase the allocation for public health services in view of the prolonged Covid-19 pandemic, said two PKR lawmakers.

Party president Anwar Ibrahim and former deputy health minister Dr Lee Boon Chye, in a joint statement, said there should be an increase of 20% for both operating expenditure and staffing over the next two years.

“The allocation for public health in Budget 2020 is RM5.66 billion out of the Health Ministry’s total operating budget of RM27.9 billion.

“As for human resources, 78,266 staff are in public health out of a total of 267,578 ministry staff. We would advocate an increase of 20%.”

They said sporadic Covid-19 outbreaks appear set to continue, with a possibility of the virus becoming endemic.

To date, Malaysia has recorded 9,063 infections with 125 deaths.

“A strong public health response is the keystone of a strong economic recovery,” said the statement.

“While the Health Ministry has done a sterling job in managing the pandemic under the guidance of Director-General Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, we believe that more can be done with the appropriate political and government support.”

Anwar and Dr Lee said strengthening public healthcare will allow the government to prevent outbreaks and initiate control measures early when cases are identified.

They said Covid-19 is not the only infectious disease affecting the country.

“Tuberculosis alone affects more than 20,000 individuals annually, and dengue continues to be a problem, with more than 130,000 cases in 2019.

“It is also very likely that novel respiratory viruses will be a threat in the future.”

The duo added that Malaysia has unenviable levels of non-communicable diseases as well.

“Approximately 8.1% of our adult population (1.7 million) have all three risk factors for diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol.

“As the government struggles to provide a cohesive exit strategy in the Covid-19 pandemic, there will be temptation to reduce allocation in the delayed Budget 2021 and 12th Malaysia Plan.”

Putrajaya must remember that money spent on improving healthcare is an investment, said Anwar and Dr Lee.

“It is only by improving and protecting the people’s health that we will be able to overcome the health and economic challenges facing our nation.” – August 8, 2020.