BANDAR Kuching MP Kelvin Yii Lee Wuen asked why there was a need to reclassify some of the expenditure for the Health Ministry budget allocation.

He said classifying some expenditure under Specific Programmes (Program Khusus) only made it less clear how the money would be utilised.

“Why is there a need to reclassify it and put it under a consolidated “area” rather than clearly divide it to each department or discipline? This is less transparent and we do not know whether there is a reduction or increase in each department and we will not be able to gauge if it is sufficient and adequate,” said Yii.

The DAP lawmaker said the “Program Khusus” label is not a good idea either, and asked which department would have access to the RM31.9 billion allocation.

“How does each department get access to such allocations? Do they need to apply for it? Who makes the decision? What it actually does is it adds bureaucracy to the whole process, which may delay the funds even if there is a matter of urgency.”

Yesterday, Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz denied allegations that the government had drastically reduced public health allocation in the 2021 Budget, which he tabled in Parliament on Friday.

He said the allocation for the Health Ministry had increased to RM31.9 billion from RM30.6 billion from the 2020 Budget, stressing that no area of healthcare has had its allocation reduced.

“The allocation for medical supplies and consumables amounting to RM4.29 billion has been allocated and classified under code 080000 (Specific Programmes).

“These include government supply of public medical facilities of RM2.89 billion and medicinal and laboratory supplies of RM1.4 billion.

“This is why the total allocation under code 020000 (Medical) shows a “reduction” from RM14.2 billion (2020) to RM11.3 billion (2021).

These details contain provisions for various areas of healthcare, including nephrology and pharmacy,” Tengku Zafrul said.

Yii further stressed that, without proper planning, patients would be getting the short end of the stick.

He said it is better for the allocation to be allocated publicly and transparently so that every clinical department can then plan ahead and make better decisions how to utilise it.

“So, if, at the start of the year, clinicians know they have a certain amount of budget to help a certain number of patients, they can plan accordingly.”

“We need to do more. To build a resilient healthcare system, we need to invest to make sure it has sufficient infrastructure and human resources to handle not just a pandemic, but also not neglect the quality of care for other patients,” he added. – November 8, 2020.