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KUALA LUMPUR: The Dewan Rakyat approved the Ministry of Health’s budget for 2021 today after a lengthy discussion between opposition MPs and Deputy Minister Dr. Noor Azmi Ghazali.
The ministry has been allocated RM 31.9 billion, RM 27.2 billion for expenditures and RM 4.7 billion for development.
It was approved by voice vote which showed that the majority agreed with the budget.
It was the eighteenth ministry to approve its 2021 budget at the committee stage, with nine remaining.
Earlier, opposition parliamentarians expressed dissatisfaction with the cut budget allocation for the other medical sectors.
Noor Azmi had started his budget liquidation speech by stating that some MPs had said that the ministry did not have enough funds with smaller allocations.
He said that 10 years ago, the ministry’s budget was 15 billion ringgit, but now it stands at 31 billion ringgit. “That’s an increase,” he said.
Hearing this, Jalaludin Alias (BN-Jelebu) and Bung Moktar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan) asked the deputy minister to answer the questions posed by the deputies.
At this point, the opposition deputies also urged the speaker to ask the Minister of Health himself to answer their questions.
“We want the minister to respond, not the deputy,” said RSN Rayer (PH-Jelutong).
Hearing this, Noor Azmi replied, “I am responding. Sit down. Why are you bothering me?
Earlier, Mukhriz Mahathir (Ind-Jerlun) questioned the reasons for reducing the allocations for pharmacy and supplies, which he said had been cut from RM1. 9 billion to RM521 million.
“Even though we are facing Covid-19, that does not mean that it should cut allocations for other sectors of the Ministry of Health,” he said.
Kasthuri Patto (PH-Batu Kawan) asked Noor Azmi about the allocation for mental health illnesses, and he said that the budget showed that there was no increase for this.
Mohd Hatta Ramli (PH-Lumut) said there was no allocation for nephrology that deals with kidney disease.
Noor Azmi responded by saying that Putrajaya had allocated RM5 million each for mammograms and cervical screenings.
As the discussion progressed, he said that he would provide written responses.
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