Congested hospitals: Patients to be redirected to other health facilities

Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the issue of overcrowded hospitals has come to the public’s attention.

Even with the wane in Covid-19 cases, overcrowded hospitals seem to remain an issue with recent concerns about people having to wait for up to seven hours at government health facilities before receiving treatment.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said they will now try to optimise the country’s healthcare capacity by redirecting patients in congested hospitals to other hospitals such as university hospitals, army hospitals and private hospitals.

He said this while tabling Budget 2023 in the Dewan Rakyat today.

There are also plans to introduce a special Madani Medical Scheme which aims to benefit the poor, he added.

“The government will introduce the Madani Medical Scheme specifically for the poor to receive treatment at private and public clinics and medical practitioners as was implemented by the Selangor government.

“A total of RM120 million will be provided for this purpose,” Anwar said.

Excise duty

At the same time, the finance minister said there are also plans to impose an excise duty on liquid or gel products containing nicotine that is used for electronic cigarettes and vapes.

While vapes containing nicotine are still not technically legal, he said the reality is that they are already being widely sold and the industry is estimated to be worth over RM2 billion.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim

“It would be nice if it was regulated and taxed to discourage the use of vapes,” he said.

To boost the funding of the Health Ministry, half of the proceeds from the newly announced excise duty will be reallocated to the ministry as part of efforts to improve the quality of the national healthcare system.

Aside from that, welfare hospitals registered as companies limited by guarantee will be given income tax exemptions equal to the amount of welfare expenditure.

The donors will also get a tax deduction of up to 10 percent, Anwar added.

In addition, the tax relief limit for medical treatment expenses will be increased from RM8,000 to RM10,000 this year, the prime minister announced.

The scope of this tax relief will also be expanded to cover the cost of rehabilitation for neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism, Down syndrome and specific learning disabilities, limited to RM4,000.

Anwar did not mention any new initiatives or policies with regard to medical officers in the Health Ministry in this part of his budget speech focusing on healthcare. - Mkini