COMMENT | Budget supports healthcare workers but still many gaps

COMMENT | The health allocation under the Federal Budget 2026 tabled in Parliament by the finance minister today sets an encouraging direction in key areas, particularly modernising physical infrastructure and improving human resources.

However, it falls short in several areas, namely aged care, sugar subsidies, primary care, tobacco, and healthcare financing reforms.

It would be a mistake to consider that there has been overspending in health. In 2018, the Auditor-General’s report of the health sector clearly stated that the public health system is over-congested, understaffed, and suffering from underinvestment.

“It is 2025, but the situation remains serious and in crisis,” said Azrul Mohd Khalib, chief executive of the Galen Centre for Health & Social Policy, when commenting on the tabling of the federal budget bill this evening.

“Unfortunately, the 2026 allocation at RM46.52 billion is only an anaemic 2.8 percent higher than 2025 or an increase of around RM1.3 billion, which is...