Activist questions Zaliha’s U-turn on health commission after fatal heli crash

 

Former health minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa has come under scrutiny over her renewed push for a Health Services Commission (HSC), with her previous opposition to the proposal now back in focus.

The PKR vice-president called on the Madani government to fast-track the commission, which would oversee public health service personnel separately from the wider civil service, amid controversy over the RM30 incentive for Flying Doctor Service (FDS) personnel.

Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy chief executive Azrul Khalib pointed to her apparent change in tune following the helicopter crash in Sarawak that claimed several lives, including Health Ministry personnel, and reprimanded her over the matter.

"Don't exploit the death of KKM (Health Ministry) personnel to try to recover political relevance. It is despicable.

This is the same person, who when she was health minister, is on record in 2023 for shooting down the proposal of a Health Services Commission, which she now claims to support. Check the Hansard,” Azrul (below) said in a Facebook post.

In her Facebook post earlier, Zaliha said concerns over the allowance for FDS personnel were not new, noting that the matter had been raised as far back as November 2025.

She argued that the government should have mechanisms to identify and resolve such problems before they escalate into public controversies.

“We should not wait until an issue gains public attention before acting on it.

“There needs to be a structure to continuously monitor, coordinate, and address manpower issues systematically and swiftly,” she added.

The Sekijang MP stressed that healthcare workers form the foundation of the nation’s healthcare system, making it equally important for the administration of the workforce to be responsive to their concerns.

She said a more effective system should be capable of recognising the challenges faced by healthcare personnel and adapting to their needs.

“I hope the government will give serious consideration to this proposal (for a HSC),” she said.

Past rejection

However, on June 15, 2023, Zaliha said establishing the commission was not suitable.

She told the Dewan Rakyat that the process of setting up a new service commission was convoluted and would require amendments to the Federal Constitution with two-thirds parliamentary support.

“The establishment of this commission is not suitable in today’s context. Taking into account the overlap in function with the Public Services Commission, the establishment of the (new) service commission will not solve the issues faced by the ministry,” CodeBlue reported her saying, when winding up debate on the Health White Paper (HWP).

Malaysiakini has sought Zaliha’s response to the criticism raised by Azrul.

In April, former DAP senator Dr A Lingeshwaran called for an independent HSC that could operate beyond the constraints of the civil service framework, amid concerns over a shortage of medical personnel.

He said healthcare workers urgently require structural reforms as they are “fed up” with bureaucratic solutions, pointing out that the HSC was a promised aspect of the HWP, which Parliament passed in 2023.

The former Sungai Bakap Hospital director said the HSC was not merely an administrative reform but also a systemic one, adding that autonomy in human resource management, budgeting, and staffing could accelerate the filling of positions based on actual clinical needs. - Mkini