KUALA LUMPUR: The Madani Health Reform, driven by five strategic clusters, aims to strengthen services and ensure a fair working environment for healthcare staff, says Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.
Reflecting on two years of reform, he said the effort aims to make the national healthcare system future-ready, focused and future-proof.
This comes amid persistent challenges in healthcare financing, crowded facilities, non-communicable diseases and staff fatigue.
"We are shifting the focus from sick care to preventive health care," he said in a Facebook post.
Dzulkefly said the first cluster targets institutional and governance reforms to make the Health Ministry's functions clearer, more focused and accountable.
He said strategic bodies like the Digital Health Division and National Centre for Food Safety boost capacity, clarify accountability and accelerate policy implementation.
For the second cluster on health service delivery reform, he said the ministry is reforming services by optimising capacity and modernising facilities.
"Despite the technical challenges of integrating diverse data systems, we remain committed to digitising medical records (EMR) and implementing digital appointment systems as core service modernisation measures," he said, adding that the reform aims to ease crowded hospitals and deliver more efficient, modern, and patient-centred healthcare.
The third cluster focuses on health workforce reform, with the ministry making structural corrections, including amendments to the Medical Act 1971 and the largest permanent appointments in recent healthcare history.
"This is not an easy solution, but a necessary step to end long-standing issues. It reflects real-time efforts to build a fairer, stable, and dignified workforce to protect the healthcare system's most valuable asset, its staff," he said.
Dzulkefly said the fourth cluster, health financing reform, aims to secure the public healthcare system's fiscal sustainability while ensuring fair and quality access for all.
Through the Reset (Revamp, Enhance, Strengthen, Expand, Transform) framework, he said the country is moving from paying treatment costs to value-based financing, ensuring every ringgit delivers maximum public health benefit.
The fifth cluster focuses on public health, safety, and prevention, with the ministry taking a tougher stance on key risk factors such as excessive sugar intake, smoking, and sedentary lifestyles, backed by new laws, including the 2024 Control of Tobacco Products for Public Health Act (Act 852), and a more comprehensive national prevention agenda.
Looking to 2026, Dzulkefly said the ministry will focus on data- and empathy-driven talent management, easing congestion, optimising assets, and strengthening public health through broader digitalisation.
"The next phase requires strict implementation to mature these reforms, especially in facing an ageing population and global health risks," he said.
Ahead of the 13th Malaysia Plan and his role as chair of the 2026 Asean Health Ministers' Meeting, he said the ministry is committed to delivering results and building a healthcare system that cares and protects the nation's future. – Bernama
