Kuala lumpur: The RM500 million expenditure restriction warrant imposed on the Ministry of Health (MOH) is a technical adjustment and does not affect the delivery of healthcare services to the public, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad. He clarified that the adjustment involved surplus allocation provided for positions that could not be filled, thereby enabling the government to save RM500 million without affecting the ministry's operations.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the adjustment did not involve allocations for operations, development, staff allowances, training programs, or the purchase of medical assets. Instead, it was made through re-planning of expenditure by prioritizing the prudent use of financial resources. Dr Dzulkefly explained during a Dewan Rakyat session that the restriction warrant is a technical adjustment on excess allocation and does not impact the 18,641 positions approved by the Public Service Department for the MOH this year. Despite offering more positions, there remain insufficient candidates to fill them, enabling the savings from the original allocation.

Dr Dzulkefly was responding to queries from Datuk Shahelmey Yahya (BN-Putatan) and Abdul Latiff Abdul Rahman (PN-Kuala Krai), who expressed concerns about fiscal adjustments affecting healthcare delivery and public health facility development. He emphasized that the RM500 million restriction warrant issued by the Finance Ministry, constituting about 1.07 percent of MOH's total allocation of nearly RM46.52 billion this year, would not hinder hospital services, especially in rural areas, as all basic services and health development projects would continue.

In another development, Dr Dzulkefly announced that the MOH, through the Joint Committee on Private Healthcare Costs (GBMKKS), plans to introduce a basic health protection plan called the Base Medical and Health Insurance/Takaful (MHIT) at several hospitals this month. This initiative aims to address rising treatment costs and private health insurance premiums, with a full rollout expected by January 2027. The plan offers basic health coverage that is easier, more affordable, and provides essential protection to consumers. The government is also introducing a Diagnosis Related Groups (DRG) payment system to standardize hospital payment systems and charges nationwide, involving public, private, university, and military hospitals.