It Should Not Take A Royal Rebuke For Our Government To Pay Attention

But it should not take a royal rebuke for our government to pay attention towards issues that affect the average Malaysian the most. 

Zulhilmi Zailani

In early December, the Regent of Johor issued a public statement on the sordid status of the developments for the restoration of the ICU for Sultanah Aminah Hospital. 

To his credit, Dr Dzulkefly has a lot on his plate – especially given the recent outcry over the suspension of critical allowances that would directly affect the long-term sustainability of our healthcare system.

But it should not take a royal rebuke for our government to pay attention towards issues that affect the average Malaysian the most. 

In a statement released on Nov 14, the Islamic Medical Association of Malaysia (IMAM) warned that the country’s healthcare sector is currently operating at the 2012 budget level.

“The consequence is obvious and existential. It causes healthcare understaffing,” said the association’s president Jeffrey Abu Hassan.

“Our healthcare needs more doctors for quality healthcare service delivery, not less and not contractual in nature,” he said adding that many young doctors currently work up to 30 hours or more per week. 

One reason is that Malaysia lacks doctors, as our ratio is only at 1.6:1,000, acccording to Malaysia’s Health Ministry in 2017.

In this respect the World Health Organization recommends doctor-population ratio of 1:1,000. Though many developed countries maintain a much higher ratio. For example, France has a ratio of 3.227:1,000 while Germany features 4.125:1,000.

In the words of MoH Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah who issued this statement on his Facebook page: 

“We are currently underfunded, understaffed, underpaid, overworked, overstretched and with facilities overcrowded with patients. We all need … to improve the public healthcare system …; all of which are beyond the control of MOH.”

Looking ahead, urgent changes are needed to improve the welfare of doctors and as a result, the welfare of our citizens. One key solution here is to simply build more hospitals – especially ones that serve rural areas such as in Sabah & Sarawak.

In the 2020 Budget, MoF had allocated MYR 1.6 billion for the creation and maintenance of our public healthcare facilities. 

Is this enough when the government is spending MYR 3.2 billion for an airport in Kulim, and especially when the Minister of Entrepreurial Development is devoting RM 20 million (which is more than the allocation that has been earmarked for HSA) for the flying car project.

It’s a matter of priorities. 

The average Malaysian has no time for the complicated politicking that continues to dominate our headlines. They are too busy trying to make a living – something that has become increasingly difficult. 

According Bank Negara’s 2017 Annual report, our median wage is at RM 1,703 in 2016. In comparison, the same report showed that for a 2-child family in KL would need a monthly income of RM 6,500 to live without financial stress. 

Whatever efforts made by the government is insufficient – especially when you put into consideration the piecemeal minimum wage rise by RM 100 to RM 1200 in key urban centres. 

Contrast this with the RM 500 per day parliamentary allowance afforded to our legislators, who even then seem to not bother attending the sessions as seen with when proceedings are suspended due to a lack of quorum.

Even then, the level of debate displayed by MPs on both sides of the divide is simply embarrassing. When foul language and name-calling becomes the norm than the exception, how can we expect our government to actually govern and help the average joe improve their quality of life?

It’s not enough for the Pakatan Harapan government to be a “Not BN” – it needs to finally fulfill the spirit of social inclusion that it had campaigned on during GE14. 

Cameron Highlands, Semenyih, Rantau and Tanjung Piai are all signs that PH needs to wake up. Many Malaysians would agree that the government needs more than 2 years to fulfill its promises, but at least try to justify that by acting like a reformist government for once. 

Malaysians everywhere took a big risk in 2018 – and they have been rewarded with recalcitrant policy-making and endless politicking. We need our politicians to fulfill their end of the bargain.