KUALA LUMPUR: Bi-partisan support for the proposed reforms within the Health White Paper is critical to secure the direction of structural changes for Malaysia's health system.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said while his ministry had consulted a diverse range of stakeholders in developing the White Paper, the plans for reforms must be future-proof and would critically outlast any incumbent minister.
"I hope that we will all play a part in supporting its tabling to Parliament at the end of this year.
"Not only would this cement the moral and political position for the next 15 years of proposed reforms, but in a large sense, it would also symbolise our solidarity for a future-proofed healthcare system, no matter who is the health minister or which party is in power," he said in his keynote speech at the Health Policy Summit 2022, here, today.
He added that to further secure the reforms, the Health White Paper would also propose a Health Reform Commission to independently monitor, advise, and report on the status of its implementation to the government, Parliament and the public.
"In having a transparent and well-appointed Health Reform Commission, we hope that it will create institutional check-and-balance and ensure follow-through on the reforms, regardless of changes in the political sphere.
"We will also appoint a Health White Paper Advisory Council, comprising 13 diverse subject matter experts, to lend their assistance in challenging and refining our policy priorities."
It was previously reported that the Health White Paper is expected to be tabled in Parliament in November.
The Health White Paper is aimed at strengthening Malaysia's healthcare system to ensure equitable and high-quality services that are easily accessible at affordable costs, and sustainable in the long run.