KUALA LUMPUR: The waiting time for patients at government hospitals will be reduced with the construction of new hospitals under the 2018 Budget, said medical experts today.
Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Dr Ravindran Naidu described the move as timely. He also commended the government for allocating funds to build more hospitals in rural areas.
“Hopefully, they do not cut down on the number of hospitals (built) as what happened in the last two years.
“More hospitals should be built in rural areas instead of expanding the big hospitals in urban areas,” he said when contacted today.
He said the existence of more hospitals in rural areas would help reduce the number of patients at main government hospitals.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) secretary Datuk Dr Azmi Shapie the people will benefit greatly from the allocations for the health sector, which amounted to RM27 billion.
He said this year’s allocation is a sharp increase compared to last year’s RM25 billion budget.
“Emphasis is being given to the less fortunate and those suffering from chronic diseases.
“Besides subsidies for dialysis for kidney patients, there is an additional allocation for the Medical Aid Fund,” he said.
National Kidney Foundation chairman Datuk Dr Zaki Morad Mohd Zaher said the subsidies for kidney patients seeking dialysis treatment will save many lives.
“Currently, patients have to fork out RM60 for every treatment at most of the haemodialysis centres operated by non-governmental organisations,” he said, adding that the subsidy will reduce the patients’ financial burden.