PETALING JAYA: Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz has rejected claims that budget allocations for spending on public health next year had been “drastically reduced”.
Instead, he said, certain allocations had been classified under different codes in the budget estimates tabled in the Dewan Rakyat on Friday.
He said the total allocation for the health ministry in 2021 is RM31.9 billion, an increase (4.3%) from the RM30.6 billion in the 2020 budget.
In a posting on Facebook tonight, he responded to accusations of cuts in healthcare spending, saying:
“FACT: The allocation for medical supplies and consumables amounting to RM4.29 billion has been allocated and classified under code 080000 (Specific Programmes).
These include Government Supply of Public Medical Facilities of RM2.89 billion and Medicinal & Laboratory supplies of RM1.4 billion.
“This is why the total allocation under code 020000 (Medical) shows a ‘reduction’ from RM14.2 billion (2020) to RM11.3 billion (2021).
“These details contain provisions for various areas of healthcare including nephrology and pharmacy.
FACT: NO area of healthcare has had its allocation reduced.”
Critics have accused the government of cuts in spending on nephrology, pharmacy and supplies, and radiotherapy and oncology.
Among the critics was Azrul Mohd Khalib, chief executive of the Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy, who said it was “shocking” that the allocation for cancer treatment was reduced from RM328.7 million in 2020 to RM136.4 million.
