Budget 2023: Health Ministry gets RM36.3bil, second highest after Education

PETALING JAYA: In tabling the revised Budget 2023, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the Health Ministry would be given an allocation of RM36.3bil.

This is the second highest allocation under Budget 2023 and is also slightly higher than the RM36.1bil allocated under the spending plan tabled by the previous government in October last year and RM32.4bil under Budget 2022. The ministry also received the highest jump in allocation compared to Budget 2022.

The main component of the allocation will be used for the procurement of medicines, reagents, vaccines and disposables.

RM3bil will be allocated for the appointment of 1,500 medical officers, dentists and pharmacists for permanent and contract positions.

To address congestion at government hospitals, several measures will be taken including:

- Public health capacity will be optimised by outsourcing patients from congested hospitals to university, army and private hospitals;

- RM120mil for Madani Health Scheme for the poor to receive treatment at general practitioners (GP) clinics;

- RM700mil for the construction of women and children wing with a capacity of 476 beds at the Melaka Hospital;

- Older hospitals such as the Kuala Kangsar, Jelebu, and Pontian hospitals will be upgraded and refurbished;

- RM80mil to strengthen the Peka B40 Scheme by including diabetes screening;

- Tax relief for medical expenses for year of assessment 2023 will be increased from RM8,000 to RM10,000 for medical expenses; and

- Up to RM4,000 tax relief for Autism, Down Syndrome and other Specific Learning Disabilities