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2023 Budget: Health Ministry to prioritise upgrading old facilities

SEGAMAT: The Health Ministry, which received an allocation of RM36.3 billion in the 2023 Budget, will prioritise the upgrading of health facilities, especially those more than 50 years old.

Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said the ministry had identified 1,200 health clinics categorised as dilapidated or affected by high costs during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Many health clinics are more than 50 years old, including those in rural and suburban areas.

"We will prioritise 400 clinics and use the allocation efficiently," she said after the handover of Segamat Hospital's new building here today.

On Thursday, Dr Zaliha said the ministry had submitted an application for an allocation to improve and upgrade health facilities as 1,200 out of 3,119 health clinics in the country were more than 50 years old and dilapidated, most of them built with wood.

On the allocation for new permanent and contract positions for more than 1,500 medical officers, dental officers and pharmacists in the 2023 Budget, Dr Zaliha said the ministry would hold discussions with the Public Services Commission on staff placement.

On Segamat Hospital's new building, she said the project worth RM90.5 million will add 67 beds to the Emergency and Trauma Department, operating rooms, Intensive Care Unit, High Dependency Unit, Central Sterile Supply Department and Respiratory and Haemodynamics Unit and the new building is scheduled to open in phases from March 5.

She announced an allocation of RM600,000 for the construction of 422 parking lots at Segamat Hospital to overcome congestion when the new building begins operations.

In a separate statement, Dr Zaliha said the government had approved an allocation of RM340 million to repair 400 dilapidated clinics and hospitals nationwide, RM160 million to maintain medical equipment under the Medical Equipment Enhancement Tenure and RM100 million to replace obsolete medical equipment.

She said the allocation for the ministry under the 2023 Budget was a very positive start towards increasing the health sector budget to five per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP).

"The allocation is equivalent to two per cent of the GDP forecast for 2023 by the Finance Ministry and is an increase from 1.89 per cent in 2022.

"The ministry is confident the five per cent goal can be achieved and fulfilled by the government in stages within five years as the country's economy is recovering and growing rapidly."

When tabling the 2023 Budget yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the health sector received the second-highest allocation at RM36.3 billion, up from RM32.4 billion last year. — BERNAMA

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