The Covid -19 outbreak in Sabah and Sarawak highlighted the state of healthcare in the two states which continue to need urgent attention and investment by the F ederal G overnment. Invest in improving Sabah and Sarawak ’s healthcare infrastructure This could support the sustainability of a cancer fund, the upscaling of innovative programmes, or fund crucial lifesaving treatment. It could be a form of public-private-patient partnership where the government, private sector and patient co-pay for treatment to increase the availability and quality of existing cancer therapies, particularly those which treat advanced cancers.Īs a pilot programme, the g overnment should earmark an initial 5 % from the revenue collected from alcohol and tobacco taxes (estimated to total RM 5.9bil annually) for health promotion and treatment, focusing initially on diabetes and cancer. Establish a sustainable cancer fundĪ cancer fund should be established, with RM50mil in seed funding. We need to invest in improving health literacy, and ensure access and availability of effective treatment and care for those who need it. The incidences of various NCDs have and are expected to worsen and increase as a result of the Covid -19 crisis. New funding should be channe l led into preventing and treating cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Invest in health promotion, health literacy, NCD treatment and care This is definitely not the time to underinvest in health. If we are to deal with existing health issues, ageing equipment, retaining skilled personnel, preparing and ensuring resilience to future pandemics such as Covid -19, much of Malaysia's health infrastructure, including its people, needs additional investments and modernising. The 2022 health budget should be between RM35 bil and RM 40bil.
The Galen Centre has five recommendations for the government's consideration in Budget 2022. And 70% of previous health budgets were forced to deal with the consequences of underinvestment in NCD prevention and control.
įor example, Malaysia has one of the worst five- year survival rates for breast cancer in Asia. Cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and hypertension combined have already inflicted serious damage over the past decade on individuals, livelihoods and the economy. FOR Budget 2022, which will be presented in Parliament on Friday (Oct 29), the Galen Centre for Health & Social Policy calls upon the g overnment to strengthen its commitment towards addressing noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) afflicting millions of Malaysians that are expected to have significantly worsened since the onset of the Covid -19 pandemic.īefore the emergence of Covid -19, Malaysia was already in the firm grip of a national health crisis, which grew larger, required more medical treatment, and claimed more lives each year.
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