PUTRAJAYA: Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad hopes that the 2026 Budget will incorporate the Health Ministry’s recommendations in the fight against non-communicable diseases (NCD) such as diabetes and obesity.
He said the ministry had conducted engagement sessions with Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan and other agencies to submit proposals that go beyond routine budget allocations, aiming to strengthen the nation’s healthcare system.
“These proposals extend beyond our usual line budgeting. We plan to introduce new initiatives in the fight against non-communicable diseases, which are the pandemic of the modern world,” he said during a press conference after launching the ministry’s Workplace Bullying Management Guidelines today.
Dzulkefly said that the ministry was awaiting Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the second finance minister to finalise and detail the 2026 Budget, which will place greater emphasis on preventive, promotive, and predictive healthcare.
“This will not come at the expense of curative, hospital-based patient care. We aim to ensure a stronger focus on population health management, particularly in public health and the management of communicable diseases,” he said.
He said that these measures were part of ongoing reforms to position healthcare as both sustainable and people-centred, balancing long-term prevention with immediate patient needs.
On Aug 9, the health minister highlighted the growing threat of NCDs among Malaysians, citing the National Heart Institute (IJN) record of its youngest heart attack patient at just 19 years old.
He said that Malaysia spent some RM64.3 billion annually on NCD treatment, according to World Health Organisation (WHO) data.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
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