KUALA LUMPUR: The government has allocated RM41.2 billion for the Health Ministry (MoH) next year, an increase from RM36.3 billion allocated this year.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said it was the biggest increase of allocation among ministries.
He said of the total, RM5.5 billion would be used to procure medicine supplies, consumable materials, reagents, and vaccines.
He said next year, several new development projects would commence, including the Phase 1 of the Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) Teaching Hospital Complex in Kota Tinggi, Johor with a cost of RM938 million; initial works for the construction of Sultanah Aminah 2 Hospital in Johor Baru and an additional pathology block at Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital in Kelantan with a cost of RM175 million.
Other projects are an additional building of the Emergency and Trauma Department at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Hospital, Universiti Putra Malaysia; five new health clinics, including those in Rantau (Negri Sembilan), Kuala Tahan (in Jerantut, Pahang) Kuala Jengal (in Dungun, Terengganu) and Pulau Mantanani (in Kota Belud, Sabah) with a total cost of RM150 million.
He said the government also supported Sarawak's aspiration to develop a Cancer Institute in the state.
To address the overcrowding at the ministry's hospitals, Anwar said the government had allocated RM200 million for outsourcing of patients to other hospitals including military, university and private hospitals.