KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 18): The Ministry of Health (MoH) will establish a national healthcare policy that will include a national healthcare financing scheme for the B40 income group, which refers to the bottom 40% of households with monthly income of RM3,900 and below.

Speaking to reporters at the parliament lobby today after the tabling of the Mid-term Review of the 11th Malaysia Plan, its minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad assured that the national healthcare financing scheme will be "better" than the basic healthcare scheme under the Skim Peduli Sihat by the Selangor state government. 

“This will be a federal B40 health protection scheme. It will be focused on the health protection of the B40 group, with allocation provided, so they won’t have to pay,” Dzulkefly said, adding he will only provide further details once the policy has been thoroughly discussed and completed.

Under the second pillar of the mid-term review, which is the strengthening of inclusive development and welfare of the people, Dr Mahathir said earlier today that the government is committed to strengthening the healthcare delivery system. Among measures to do so are establishing a national health policy, enhancing human capital capacity and healthcare facilities, as well as reviewing the healthcare scheme model towards creating a national healthcare financing scheme.

Dzulkefly said, as has been emphasised by the prime minister, that economic performance should no longer be measured exclusively by growth figures. Instead, it must take into account other indicators such as shared prosperity and income disparity to ensure an inclusive growth which benefits all facets of society. 

“Particularly for the Ministry of Health, Tun (Mahathir) highlighted how the government is committed to strengthening the healthcare delivery system, establishing a national health policy, enhancing human capital capacity and healthcare facilities, as well as working towards creating a national healthcare financing scheme. 

“This is what I will present for the B40 health coverage plan that will be included in the upcoming budget,” he added. 

Dzulkefly is confident that New Malaysia promises an inclusive growth for all facets of society, under the six pillars in the Mid-term review of the 11th Malaysia Plan.

“From the Health Ministry’s point of view, I feel very excited about the things that Tun (Dr Mahathir Mohamad) had explained earlier, in order to drive us for the second half of the 11th Malaysia Plan towards 2020,” he said.