Government reviews healthcare spending while safeguarding essential services

PUTRAJAYA, April 30 - The government's adjustment to operating expenditure will not affect essential healthcare services, including treatment, emergency care and the supply of medicines, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said.

He said the ongoing discussions involve only proposed adjustments to operating expenditure, not finalised cuts.

"That is a proposal from the Finance Ministry (MoF) following the Cabinet meeting. It has not been finalised," he told reporters after launching the Malaysia Occupational Health Services for Public Sector (MyOHS-PS) and Integrated Workplace Health Programmes (IWHP) here today.

Dzulkefly said the government remains committed to safeguarding core healthcare services as outlined in Budget 2026.

"Basic healthcare services, patient treatment, emergency care and the supply of medicines will not be reduced. That is our assurance," he said.

However, Dzulkefly did not rule out adjustments involving non-core areas, in line with efforts to ensure more prudent financial management.

He said proposals such as reducing staff recruitment have yet to be decided, but assured that efforts to increase the healthcare workforce, particularly contract doctors, would not be affected.

"We have just received more than 4,500 new positions for contract doctors. Insya-Allah, that will not be affected," he said.

Yesterday, MoF confirmed that guidelines had been issued to ministries and agencies to reprioritise their operating expenditure.

In a statement, the ministry said the move is in line with challenges arising from the global supply crisis and rising subsidy commitments.

Earlier, the MyOHS-PS programme and IWHP were launched in conjunction with the National Occupational Safety and Health Day 2026.

In his speech, he said MyOHS-PS was introduced as a transformation programme to strengthen occupational health services in the public sector through a more systematic and risk-based approach.

The programme focuses on medical surveillance, early detection of occupational diseases and targeted interventions, with a pilot project implemented in the Klang Valley involving four high-risk agencies - the Royal Malaysia Police, local authorities, the Road Transport Department and the Malaysian Nuclear Agency.

"Based on the findings of this pilot project, we will expand its implementation nationwide in line with the National Occupational Safety and Health Plan 2026-2030," he said.

Meanwhile, IWHP was introduced as a holistic workplace health intervention programme encompassing health screenings, promotion of healthy lifestyles and mental health support.

As an initial step, the Health Ministry has launched the 'Healthy Lungs, Safe Workers' campaign to raise awareness on respiratory health, including risks associated with exposure to cigarette and vape smoke in the workplace. - Bernama