THE Dewan Rakyat approved a sum of RM31.94 billion for the Health Ministry despite questions over accounting issues and the insufficient budget given to the ministry. 

But after a vociferous debate at the committee stage lasting more than two-and-a-half hours, the budget for next year was approved by a voice vote.

Deputy Health Minister Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali, who stood in for Minister Dr Adham Baba although the latter was in Parliament, came under attack from the get-go. 

Among the first lawmakers to take Noor Azmi to task were backbenchers Bung Moktar Radin (Kinabatangan-BN) and Jalaludin Alias (Jelebu-BN), who told the deputy minister to answer their questions instead of just reading the ministry’s prepared speech. 

Another lawmaker Hannah Yeoh (Segambut-PH) also asked why he was standing in for Adham (Tenggara-BN) in such a crucial ministry budget debate. 

“Time is short for this debate, and you should get on with the answers instead of reading the script,” Bung Moktar told Noor Azmi. 

Noor Azmi’s biggest problem was trying to justify the new accounting system the ministry had adopted for its 2021 budget. 

Unlike previous years, the ministry has moved the budgets for the services it provides to a special fund. 

Hence, in the detailed Treasury notes, many of the services provided by the ministry in the past had nil under the services and supply column. 

Among those who raised this in Dewan Rakyat today were medical doctors Dr Mohd Hatta Ramli (Lumut-PH) and Dr Kelvin Yii (Kuching-PH). 

“Can you explain why the budget for nephrology and a whole other list of items such as paediatrics, orthopaedics, general medicine and many others is nil in Budget 2021?” Hatta asked.

“The budget for nephrology (services and supply) in 2020 was RM198 million. Why is it nil for next year?” said the Amanah leader.

But the deputy minister could not really explain it other than to say the ministry’s budget has not been cut and had even increased. 

“Some 20 years ago, the ministry’s budget was only RM15 billion but it is now RM31 billion. This shows it has increased,” said Noor Azmi. 

He then said the items pointed out by Hatta, were nil now because the allocated sum has been moved to a “special fund” section 

“This is a strategy to improve the ministry’s efficiency and reduce bureaucracy and would lead to faster payments. This will allow us to optimise its budget usage,” said Noor Azmi, without going into any specifics. 

Meanwhile, Yii asked why the government decided to “fix” what was not broken in the past. 

“Isn’t this more red tape when heads of medical departments have to apply to a special fund, when in the past they could budget according to what is already listed down in the annual budget Treasury notes?”

But the deputy minister was unable to address that.

Former health minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad also questioned the government on why it had not raise the health budget despite the Covid-19 pandemic. 

“This is a normal budget in an extraordinary time. How is it that our health budget is only 2% of the gross domestic product when even Vietnam has allocated 6% of its GDP?”

Noor Azmi, however, stuck to his story and repeated that the budget had increased to RM31.9 billion from this year’s RM30.6 billion.

After the budget was approved, Jalaludin asked Speaker Azhar Azizan Harun to remind government ministers to be better prepared when they field questions from MPs.

“We will support the government’s budget anyway. But at the very least, it should furnish better answers so that we (the backbenchers) can support it fairly and wholeheartedly.” – December 9, 2020.