PETALING JAYA: A think tank has poured cold water on the 57-page health white paper, saying it under-delivered on proposing solutions to some of the healthcare issues plaguing the country.
Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy said the policy document highlighted the major issues that needed an effective response.
“The challenges are mentioned but the solutions are insufficient,” its CEO, Azrul Khalib, told FMT.
These challenges include the plunging non-Covid-19 vaccination rates, delayed or backlog in cancer screenings and treatment, as well as the “significant attrition” in healthcare personnel working in the public health sector.
Azrul said the white paper also failed to address the healthcare gap between the East Malaysian states and the peninsula.
“Sabah and Sarawak are mentioned in a single line as part of describing the challenges. How is that sufficient?” he said, adding that the two states deserved their own section and focus because of their unique challenges and needs.
Describing the section on healthcare financing as “confusing”, he said the paper at one point mentioned the need to review the current public healthcare fee structure to be better suited to affordability levels.
“However, on the same page, it emphasises the importance of providing comprehensive healthcare services without being tied to affordability issues,” he said.
Azrul said he was glad the document decided to touch on the sustainable healthcare issue, but it appeared that it “wants to be everything, for everyone, without offending anyone”.
“It could end up not achieving anything as a result,” he said.
He also said a major difference was that this white paper would be tabled and debated in Parliament and was easily available to all.
The document, set to be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat today, contains plans to reform the healthcare sector in phases over the next 15 years.
