MOH hopes to get full support for Health White Paper

GEORGE TOWN: The Ministry of Health (MOH) is hoping that the Health White Paper, which is deemed the beginning of the journey to achieve a more sustainable and competitive Malaysian health system, will get full support from the government and all levels of society.

Health director-general Datuk Dr Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan said the Health White Paper is expected to be tabled at Parliament in June to get bi-partisan support from the Members of Parliament before steps towards implementation can be carried out.

"Conceptually, it is complete and encompasses all aspects of health, but we need to start optimising the strategies and planning from now.

"We hope it will receive full support as this effort does not only involve the MOH. It requires comprehensive efforts of the society and the government to make the Malaysian health system more efficient," he told reporters after attending the Health White Paper town hall session for the northern zone here today.

Dr Muhammad Radzi said among the issues raised during the town hall session were the improvements in the health services, which are often plagued with over-crowding issues, especially at the emergency department and health clinics.

Apart from that, he said the MOH is also striving to change society's approach from seeking treatment to ensuring overall wellbeing by promoting preventive measures.

He said the Health White Paper will also focus on healthcare financing constraints as the drastic increase in the demand for health services and the rising cost of healthcare have also threatened the sustainability of healthcare funding.

-- BERNAMA