JOHOR BARU: The joint ministerial committee involving the Finance and Healthcare Ministries will produce a new ecosystem to tackle rising healthcare costs and medical inflation, says Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.
The Health Minister said discussions are ongoing among multiple agencies and key stakeholders via the joint ministerial committee.
“The committee, co-chaired by Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan and myself, also includes representatives from private hospitals, healthcare professionals, insurance and Takaful providers and advocacy groups.
“A meeting had been conducted recently and we have formed several working groups to handle the related issues,” he said after witnessing the handing over of Hospital Pasir Gudang by the Works Ministry to the Health Ministry on Sunday (June 29).
In a joint ministerial statement released on Tuesday (June 24), it said the committee is made up of representatives from Bank Negara Malaysia, supported by a consultative council comprising key stakeholders in the private healthcare sector.
The council will provide a dedicated platform for industry players to work together and contribute their expertise towards the government’s shared goal of ensuring affordable and accessible private healthcare for all Malaysians, the statement read.
Meanwhile, earlier in Dr Dzulkefly’s speech at the event, he said the government is continuously finding ways to address the shortage of healthcare workers, in particular nurses.
“This is a global issue - even the Philippines, which used to export nurses, is also facing a shortage in their country.
“Various steps have been taken, including increasing the number of nurse trainees to 1,000, but it still has not been able to fill up the positions.
“This has been a chronic issue with no quick fix. Give the ministry some time to address this,” he added.
