Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad has conceded that public healthcare in the country is both underfunded and understaffed.<br /><br />While the allocation for his ministry increased by RM2 billion under Budget 2019 to RM29 billion, Dzulkefly said this was just 2.2 percent of Malaysia's gross domestic product.<br /><br />This falls short of Malaysia's target to be a developed country which on average should spend 6 percent of its GDP on healthcare.<br /><br />"Because of the (current economic) situation, we cannot match the rates of developed countries.<br /><br />"As such, the allocation for the health sector is not sufficient," Dzulkefly said at a joint media interview in Putrajaya recently.
