THE Health Ministry will receive a RM36.1 billion allocation under Budget 2023, compared with RM32.4 billion previously, Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz said today.

The allocation will be used to increase the capacity of the public healthcare system, he said.

“A sum of RM4.9 billion has been allocated for the procurement of medications, reagents, vaccines and consumables, which is an increase of 12% from that of 2022,” he said.

The focus next year will be to upgrade run down healthcare clinics, he said.

“A sum of RM420 million has been set aside for the improvement of rundown hospitals and clinics and to replace old medical equipment, with the emphasis on the interiors of Sabah and Sarawak,” said Tengku Zafrul.

“Several projects involving the building of hospitals, clinics and new facilities will be executed next year, including the acquisition of equipment which costs RM1.8 billion.”

The government also plans to set up a national mental health centre for the benefit of the people. For this purpose, RM34 million has been set aside, he said. 

At the same time, Hospital Kuala Lumpur and Hospital Tunku Azizah have been designated as treatment centres for rare diseases.

“To cope with the increased cost of treatment, the government has raised the allocation to RM25 million,” said Tengku Zafrul.

The government will also ramp up health screening under the Skim Peduli Kesihatan for the B40 group programme.

“A sum of RM80 million has been allocated, including for the screening of diabetes,” Tengku Zafrul said. – October 7, 2022.