Table health white paper at coming Dewan session, says medical group

 

Health minister Khairy Jamaluddin has said the white paper will ‘future proof’ the country’s healthcare system.

PETALING JAYA: A coalition of medical groups has urged the health ministry to table its proposed white paper to reform the health system at the coming Dewan Rakyat session.

The Malaysian Health Coalition (MHC) also welcomed the medium-term solutions for contract doctors announced by Putrajaya recently and thanked the ministry for its willingness to listen to multiple parties on the matter.

But it said health minister Khairy Jamaluddin’s proposal for the white paper and formation of a health reform commission needed to be expedited, while urging MPs to give their backing on the matter.

“The health reform commission must be given the mandate and resources to strengthen and protect our healthcare system, including healthcare workforce welfare and development,” it said in a statement.

Previously, Khairy said the white paper would “future proof” the country’s healthcare system, with the health reform commission becoming the implementing body for all reforms agreed to in the document and being accountable to Parliament.

“This is to ensure that when a new minister takes over, there will be no change because the ministry and the minister focus on policy and policy implementation,” he had said on Jan 15.

The MHC also said the unequal distribution of healthcare professionals remained an issue, with most resources focused in urban areas.

It called for the health ministry’s annual budgetary allocations to be increased beyond 5% of the gross domestic product to employ more healthcare professionals and distribute them fairly across the nation.

The transfer process within the ministry should be timely and transparent, it said, and urged Putrajaya to improve the incentives and allowances for health workers sent to remote areas, whether on a permanent or contract basis.

The coalition also said Putrajaya must control the intake of medical students to reach the ministry’s target ratio of one doctor per 400 citizens by 2025, pointing out that this would mean having 4,000 new medical graduates annually.

“Currently, there are more than 6,000 new graduates annually. With limited permanent posts in government, many had to go through the contract extension process.

“We hope for equitable and sustainable solutions to protect our healthcare professionals and the health of our nation,” it said. - FMT