KUALA LUMPUR: The government has spent RM178.9 billion since 2009 for quality health services for the public.
Disclosing this today, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, in a blog posting, said among the health services available include the 1Malaysia Clinic initiative.
“The 1Malaysia Clinic initiative, which was first introduced in 2010, has grown to 361 branches nationwide. The clinics are located at strategic locations throughout the country, open seven days a week from 10am to 10pm and offer treatments which cost only RM1, with no charges for senior citizens and people with disabilities,” he said.
Najib said the government also have numerous improvements in health facilities in the pipeline for Malaysians, including the upgrading of six hospitals in Perak, Sarawak, Kelantan, Kedah and Sabah.
“Each major hospital at every zone also has a cancer centre and a heart centre, which has treated more than 300,000 patients," he said.
He said the government has allocated RM50 million annually to ease the cost of hemodialysis treatment which benefited a total of 1.5 million patients.
“At the same time, the government is also looking to boost the country’s economic sector and increase employment opportunities through the health and tourism industry. In 2016, the industry managed to generate RM1.12 billion in revenue, and we aim to generate RM2.8 billion by 2020,” said the prime minister.
Najib noted that Malaysia holds many advantages in the area of health tourism, including expertise by having among the world’s best physicians, and services that are not only superior in quality but also much cheaper.
Heart surgery in the United States, he said, costs between US$70,000 (RM295,365)and US$200,000 (RM843,900) but in Malaysia the average price is US$9,000 (RM37,975.50).
He said all these and more have led to Malaysia being ranked the World's Best Health and Medicine Travel Destination for three consecutive years.
"I am aware that health services in the country need to be constantly monitored, maintained and improved not only in terms of infrastructure and facilities, but also the level and quality of life."