‘Disappointing’ budget allocation for health, says consumer group

 

A consumer group says the budget should have provided more funds for new health equipment. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: The 2022 budget allocation for healthcare is still disappointing, with only a small increase from last year, says a consumer group.

Malaysia Consumers Movement secretary-general Sukhdave Singh said healthcare should be improved, especially by ensuring that new equipment is purchased to replace old ones.

He said the group was also disappointed with the lack of measures to deal with the high cost of houses.

“We were expecting the introduction of more measures to control the rising cost of residential property especially in urban areas, and especially in limiting access to foreign purchasers,” he said.

“It is great that more affordable houses will be built but again these may be in locations far away from the city. Access to public transport will also be an issue in such areas. This does not solve this long-standing issue of the high cost of residential property,” he told FMT.

However, he noted that the budget contained a good mix of social welfare allocations.

Sukhdave added that despite the increased investment to improve 5G connectivity, the core issue of internet access was still not addressed as the problem was not connectivity alone but also speed.

He noted that people were now extensively relying on the internet as a primary communication tool, and slow internet speeds could also affect mental health.

Sukhdave said he was also disappointed that the government had allowed the sale of vape and electronic cigarettes.

“On one hand, the government wants people to adopt a healthy lifestyle, such as expanding the sugar tax, but it has also allowed the sale of these harmful products. The government must decide what they want to achieve,” he said.

Consumers Association of Penang president Mohideen Abdul Kader said the excise duty on all vape and electronic cigarettes was “a gross mistake” for encouraging a new form of nicotine addiction because of the eventual cost of medical treatment for nicotine addiction and related illnesses.

Mohideen added that an abolition of sales tax for locally assembled passenger vehicles should only be applied for public transport vehicles and not for cars.

Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations CEO Saravanan Thambirajah said the budget had increased the safety net for the people. However, more should be done to provide high-speed internet connections. - FMT