Dzulkefly: PM must lead health reforms lest it becomes 'dead in water'

 

PARLIAMENT | Former health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad has urged Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to take charge of the health reforms as proposed in the Health White Paper tabled in Parliament today.

Otherwise, he is worried the proposed reforms will fail before they even take off.

“The commitment must come not just from the health minister but if the prime minister does not lead the charge, does not take leadership to ensure these reforms happen and provide that visionary and leadership role, I am afraid that (the reforms) will be dead in the water or experience stillbirth.

“I stress that no less than the prime minister himself must and should provide leadership in this matter and it must be… placed under the Prime Minister’s Department along with the Health Ministry and others because we know health... is in all policies and all sectors,” he said.

Dzulkefly said this during the debate on the White Paper in Dewan Rakyat today.

The Kuala Selangor MP also raised the issue of health financing, noting that part of the proposed health reforms includes seeking at least five percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

However, he argued that this would put a great strain on the tax-based consolidated fund.

If health financing were to rely solely on the GDP, it would require the country to set aside at least RM30 billion annually, over the next five years, for this purpose alone.

While healthcare is important, Dzulkefly said there are many other sectors which require massive public funding too, such as education and social sectors.

National health fund

Malaysia also does not spend efficiently on public healthcare, he added, and so part of the reforms should include getting the Health Ministry to become the strategic purchaser in this matter.

To achieve this, Dzulkelfy said healthcare funding must come not only from the GDP but also from a consolidation of all other possible sources, be it employer-employee insurance, endowment, wakaf, zakat and so on.

“We can only afford to implement these reforms if we have the funding in something like a national health fund, which consolidates from all sources.

“From there, the Health Ministry will have the ability to become the strategic purchaser.

“And when they purchase services, whether from public or private sectors, it will altogether encourage the question of the dichotomy between public and private… and become efficient and effective,” he said.

Former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, in his debate, also pointed out that the white paper did not specify who will be the strategic purchaser.

“I request the government to give a detailed explanation including the structure of the administration,” the Pagoh MP said. - Mkini