No U-turn: Ex-minister Dr Zaliha says she has backed Health Service Commission proposal since 2023

Former Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Zaliha Mustafa refuted claims of a policy reversal regarding the establishment of a Health Service Commission, maintaining her consistent advocacy since early 2023.

She clarified that the proposal was embedded within the Health White Paper and discussed in meetings with stakeholders.

Dr. Zaliha explained the constitutional complexities involved in establishing such a commission, emphasizing her commitment to reform healthcare services.

A Technical Working Group was formed by the Ministry of Health in October 2023 to explore the best framework for establishing the commission.

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 11 — Former Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa today denied making a U-turn on the proposal to establish a Health Service Commission, saying she had remained committed to the initiative since 2023.

She said a report by a health portal yesterday, which claimed she had reversed her stance, was inaccurate and did not reflect the full context, stressing that efforts on the matter had continued throughout her tenure at the Ministry of Health (MOH).

In a statement, Dr Zaliha said that as early as February 2023, she had publicly stated that the proposal to establish the commission was among the key matters being considered in the final draft of the Health White Paper.

“In fact, in April 2023, the same news portal reported on my meeting with representatives of Hartal Doktor Kontrak (HDK), where the proposal to establish a Health Service Commission and a Health Reform Commission was discussed within the framework of the White Paper,” she said.

On her parliamentary reply on June 15, 2023, which she said had often been misinterpreted, Dr Zaliha explained that it was a clarification on the scope of authority of a Service Commission under Article 144 of the Federal Constitution.

She said the functions of a Service Commission cover appointments, confirmation of service, promotions, transfers and disciplinary action, but establishing such a commission does not give it the power to create new posts or formulate remuneration systems, including setting more competitive emolument rates.

“I also explained that establishing a new Service Commission would involve a complex process, including the need to amend the Federal Constitution and secure a two-thirds majority in both the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara.

“That explanation was about the structure, jurisdiction and limitations of the model available at the time, and was not an outright rejection of the proposal to establish a Health Service Commission,” she said.

Dr Zaliha cited records after the July 2023 parliamentary session showing that she had publicly confirmed the Government’s intention to establish the commission and was assessing the best model for it.

She said the commitment was followed by the establishment of a Technical Working Group by the MOH in October 2023 to identify the best methods and mechanisms for setting up the Health Service Commission.

Dr Zaliha reiterated that her position on the welfare of healthcare workers had remained unchanged, stressing that any reform of the healthcare service system, including the establishment of the commission, must be implemented urgently and backed by an authority capable of resolving the crises faced by healthcare personnel.

According to media reports yesterday, Dr Zaliha called for the Government to expedite the establishment of the commission following the helicopter crash in Long Lellang, Sarawak, but the news portal in question described the call as a “U-turn”. — Bernama

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前卫生部长拿督斯里扎利哈·穆斯塔法博士驳斥了有关成立卫生服务委员会政策逆转的说法，并坚持了她自 2023 年初以来一贯的倡导立场。

她澄清说，该提案已纳入《卫生白皮书》中，并在与利益相关者的会议上进行了讨论。

扎利哈博士解释了成立这样一个委员会所涉及的宪法复杂性，并强调了她致力于改革医疗保健服务的决心。

2023年10月，卫生部成立了一个技术工作组，以探讨建立该委员会的最佳框架。

吉隆坡，9月11日讯——前卫生部长拿督斯里扎利哈·穆斯塔法医生今天否认在成立卫生服务委员会的提议上改变了立场，称她自2023年以来一直致力于这项倡议。

她表示，昨天一家健康门户网站的报道声称她改变了立场，这并不准确，也没有反映全部情况，并强调在她担任卫生部部长期间，一直在继续努力处理此事。

扎利哈博士在一份声明中表示，早在 2023 年 2 月，她就公开表示，成立该委员会的提议是卫生白皮书最终草案中正在考虑的关键事项之一。

“事实上，2023 年 4 月，同一新闻门户网站报道了我与 Hartal Doktor Kontrak (HDK) 代表的会面，会上讨论了在白皮书框架内成立卫生服务委员会和卫生改革委员会的提议，”她说。

2023 年 6 月 15 日，扎利哈博士在议会答复中表示，她的答复经常被误解。她解释说，这是对联邦宪法第 144 条规定的公务员委员会权限范围的澄清。

她表示，公务员委员会的职能包括任命、确认服务、晋升、调动和纪律处分，但设立这样的委员会并不赋予其创建新职位或制定薪酬制度（包括设定更具竞争力的薪酬标准）的权力。

“我还解释说，成立一个新的公务员委员会将涉及一个复杂的过程，包括需要修改联邦宪法，并在下议院和上议院都获得三分之二的多数票。

她说：“那番解释是关于当时可用模式的结构、管辖范围和局限性，并不是断然拒绝成立卫生服务委员会的提议。”

扎利哈博士在 2023 年 7 月的议会会议后引用了记录，表明她已公开确认政府有意成立该委员会，并且正在评估该委员会的最佳模式。

她表示，卫生部在做出这一承诺后，于 2023 年 10 月成立了一个技术工作组，以确定建立卫生服务委员会的最佳方法和机制。

扎利哈博士重申，她对医护人员福利的立场没有改变，并强调任何医疗服务体系改革，包括成立该委员会，都必须紧急实施，并得到能够解决医护人员面临的危机的权威机构的支持。

据媒体昨日报道，扎利哈医生呼吁政府加快成立调查委员会，以调查砂拉越龙乐浪发生的直升机坠毁事件。但相关新闻网站称此举是“政策大转弯”。——马新社

凯里评价扎希在巫统大会上的讲话时说，听起来像是“未来的首相”。

安华：现在应该将《1963年马来西亚协议》纳入全国讨论，而不仅仅是沙巴-砂拉越问题。

安华表示，随着《1963年马来西亚协议》推进，沙巴和砂拉越将获得更多国会席位。