Health white paper to be brought to cabinet next week - Dr Zaliha

 

The Health White Paper will be brought to Cabinet next week for approval before being tabled in Parliament, said Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa.

“It must be brought to Cabinet before we can table it in Parliament,” she told reporters after opening the Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM) International Healthcare Conference and Exhibition today.

The Health White Paper is the beginning of the journey of reforming the Malaysian health system.

One of the strategic thrusts is to ensure the sustainability of healthcare funding by diversifying funding sources for health, where particular focus is given to developing a national health insurance scheme.

On whether Malaysia will follow Singapore and Thailand’s footsteps in imposing a ban on vaping, Dr Zaliha said such a move must be looked at from various aspects, including public health and the economy.

Commenting on the shortage of nurses at private health institutions, Dr Zaliha said the situation was likely due to distribution problems and required reallocating measures.

She said one thing that needs to be scrutinised is the recruitment of nurses from abroad to help the private sector overcome the shortage.

Earlier in his welcoming address, APHM president Dr Kuljit Singh said that based on a survey in November 2022 which received responses from 103 hospitals, an additional 9,224 nurses are needed from 2023 to 2025.

- Bernama