Tag: Amir Hamzah Azizan

Parliament: Coordination of expenditure to MOH only RM500 million – Amir Hamzah

KUALA LUMPUR: The Finance Ministry has considered coordinating expenditure for the Ministry of Health (MOH) by only RM500 million compared to RM3.1 billion as claimed on social media, said Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan. He said the amount did not include major expenses such as emoluments, medical supplies, overtime allowances including on-call allowances , and so on. "The allocation for medicines has also been increased to RM6.5 billion for 2026." "For 2026, the Ministry of Health continues to target the recruitment of more than 18,000 health workers without any reduction compared to the previous year," he said during a question and answer session at the Dewan Rakyat today. He was answering a supplementary question from Datuk Seri Hasni Mohammad (BN-Simpang Renggam) on how the Joint Committee's decision could make the RESET strategy and the Medical and Health Insurance Plan (MHIT) a success following the cuts in MOH allocations. He said the adjustment of operating expenses only involved non-critical expenses while all core expenses including basic services, security, health and education would continue as approved in the 2026 Budget. "This measure aims to create fiscal space to accommodate part of the sudden increase in subsidy spending due to the West Asian crisis," he said. He said the fiscal position was also important because the RESET agenda played a role in seeing how the government could control cost increases in the future. "The core initiatives we are implementing will also provide opportunities to control cost increases through transparency and new approaches such as the diagnosis-related group (DRG) system to ensure that we can control cost increases," he said. Regarding tax incentives for private hospital charity funds, he said the government had discussed with several private hospitals that had established their respective funds, and the funds would be used to cover the cost of treatment for the B40 group at the hospitals. Meanwhile, answering Hasni's original question on the latest status of the implementation of RESET and the MHIT Plan as well as the achievements of the Joint Ministerial Committee since its establishment in addressing medical inflation, Amir Hamzah said that to date, five important initiatives have been implemented. He said the initiative includes the publication of the basic MHIT White Paper in January 2026, the publication of the Cost Range of Common Medical Treatments in Private Hospitals and the publication of the World Bank report on medical inflation in April 2026. In addition, it also includes the publication of tools to help consumers create transparency in assessing insurance needs, making claims and planning personal travel; and the provision of tax incentives for private hospital welfare funds to encourage charitable healthcare services. Amir Hamzah said the government is also actively carrying out the pilot phase of the Basic MHIT plan which will begin by the end of July 2026. "This pilot phase on a controlled scale involves several insurers and takaful operators as well as selected private hospitals in the Klang Valley to test the acceptance of the basic MHIT product and the readiness of its operating system." "This basic MHIT plan is expected to be launched at the national level in January 2027," he said. -- BERNAMA

KUALA LUMPUR: The Finance Ministry has considered coordinating expenditure for the Ministry of Health (MOH) by only RM500 million compared to RM3.1 billion as claimed on social media, said Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan. He said the amount did not include major expenses such as emoluments, medical supplies, overtime allowances including on-call […]

Targeted Subsidies Shield The Public From Global Energy Crisis Impact – Amir Hamzah

KUALA LUMPUR, April 10 -- The government has created a buffer by maintaining targeted subsidies for RON95 and diesel at fixed prices, while aligning the prices of non-subsidised fuel with market rates to shield the public from the direct impact of the global energy crisis. Finance Minister II Amir Hamzah Azizan said the measure is crucial to protect critical sectors, including fishermen, public transport and eligible logistics vehicles, which continue to enjoy diesel at controlled rates. “Critical sectors that still benefit from subsidised diesel, such as fishermen, continue to receive diesel at RM1.65. “For land public transport vehicles, including school and express buses, ambulances and fire engines, the price is RM1.88 per litre, while eligible logistics vehicles and users in Sabah and Sarawak pay RM2.15 per litre,” he said at a global energy crisis briefing today. He said current global price pressures stem from low supply relative to high demand, security threats, as well as rising shipping and insurance costs. Amir Hamzah said Malaysia’s fuel supply is more robust compared with other countries, with Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) and several other oil companies managing the nation’s resources responsibly. “We can see this through petrol stations that continue to operate. Malaysians can still purchase fuel. Some countries have already imposed rationing, and hundreds of petrol stations elsewhere have been closed due to supply shortages,” he said. He said the crisis should be viewed as an opportunity for Malaysia to continue strengthening its economic resilience and to seize the chance to become a more dynamic and progressive society. “The people play an important role. This is the time for us to set aside our differences and choose unity in facing the crisis, including practising moderation in our daily lives. “The government’s priority at this time is to ensure sufficient supply of fuel, energy, essential goods and medicines for the rakyat. At the same time, the government is striving to safeguard the national economy and protect the people,” he said.

KUALA LUMPUR, April 10 — The government has created a buffer by maintaining targeted subsidies for RON95 and diesel at fixed prices, while aligning the prices of non-subsidised fuel with market rates to shield the public from the direct impact of the global energy crisis. Finance Minister II Amir Hamzah Azizan said the measure is […]

Govt Increases Rice Stockpile To Nine Months

PUTRAJAYA — The government has assured that the country’s rice supply is sufficient after the Cabinet today agreed to increase the national rice stockpile to cover a period of up to nine months to ensure food security amid uncertainty caused by geopolitical conflict in West Asia. Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Datuk Seri Mohamad […]