Private hospitals urge government to boost MMC and healthcare watchdog in Budget 2027

The Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM) has called for increased federal funding for the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) to ensure robust regulatory oversight and maintain public trust in the healthcare system.

APHM President Datuk Dr. Kuljit Singh emphasized the need for enhanced budgetary allocations for critical institutions, including the MMC, the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council, and the Malaysian Society for Quality in Health, which currently receives no direct funding.

Inadequate investment could undermine patient safety, delay disciplinary processes, and weaken compliance enforcement, especially in the growing medical tourism sector.

The APHM expressed readiness to collaborate with the Ministry of Health to establish sustainable financial support.

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 24 — The Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM) has urged the government to increase federal funding for the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC), warning that persistent underinvestment in the medical regulator threatens to weaken oversight and undermine public trust in the healthcare system.

In a press statement today, APHM president Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh said budgetary allocations must be enhanced for the MMC, the statutory body responsible for regulating medical practitioners and upholding professional ethics, alongside the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC).

A third critical body, the Malaysian Society for Quality in Health (MSQH), which oversees nationwide hospital accreditation and quality audits, currently receives no direct government funding at all.

“Sustained underinvestment in these institutions risks weakening oversight, compromising quality assurance processes, and eroding the standards that patients and the public depend on,” the statement said.

The appeal arrives just over two weeks before Budget 2027 is tabled in Parliament on October 9.

Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan previously indicated that the upcoming national budget will emphasise raising the nation’s “social floor” and strengthening institutional governance alongside economic growth priorities.

APHM said the call was as an urgent patient-safety agenda rather than a routine administrative appeal.

The MMC’s core functions, which include licensing doctors, enforcing professional conduct, and adjudicating disciplinary inquiries, form the bedrock of patient confidence in medical competency and accountability.

The association argued that a resource-constrained regulator faces the risk of protracted disciplinary timelines, weaker compliance enforcement, and diminished operational bandwidth to keep pace with a rapidly expanding healthcare sector.

Dr Kuljit also linked the funding shortfall to the wider medical tourism economy, contending that an industry generating significant national revenue must reinvest in the regulatory ecosystem that guarantees its global reputation.

He highlighted the healthcare travel sector as a “consistent and growing contributor to national revenue,” arguing that economic value generated by the industry should help sustain the regulatory and accreditation institutions that establish Malaysia’s clinical credibility abroad.

“Ensuring adequate funding for these bodies is a necessary investment in patient safety, professional accountability, and public trust,” the statement said, cautioning that without adequate financial backing, the ability to “maintain rigorous standards, enforce governance, and continuously improve care delivery will be significantly constrained.”

APHM added that it “stands ready to work collaboratively with the Ministry of Health and relevant stakeholders” to establish sustainable financial support for the three institutions.

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马来西亚私立医院协会 (APHM) 呼吁联邦政府增加对马来西亚医学理事会 (MMC) 的拨款，以确保强有力的监管，并维护公众对医疗保健系统的信任。

APHM 主席拿督库尔吉特·辛格博士强调，需要增加对关键机构的预算拨款，包括马来西亚医学理事会 (MMC)、马来西亚医疗旅游理事会和马来西亚医疗质量协会，这些机构目前没有获得任何直接资金。

投资不足可能会损害患者安全，延误惩戒程序，并削弱合规执行力度，尤其是在不断发展的医疗旅游业中。

APHM表示愿意与卫生部合作，建立可持续的财政支持。

吉隆坡，9月24日讯——马来西亚私立医院协会（APHM）敦促政府增加对马来西亚医学理事会（MMC）的联邦拨款，并警告称，对医疗监管机构持续投资不足，有可能削弱监管力度，损害公众对医疗保健系统的信任。

APHM主席拿督库尔吉特·辛格博士今天在一份新闻声明中表示，必须增加对马来西亚医学理事会（MMC）的预算拨款，MMC是负责监管医疗从业人员和维护职业道德的法定机构，同时还要增加对马来西亚医疗旅游理事会（MHTC）的预算拨款。

第三个重要机构是马来西亚医疗质量协会（MSQH），该协会负责监督全国医院的认证和质量审核，但目前完全没有获得政府的直接资助。

声明称：“对这些机构持续投资不足，可能会削弱监管，损害质量保证流程，并侵蚀患者和公众所依赖的标准。”

这份上诉书是在 2027 年预算案于 10 月 9 日提交议会审议前两周多一点提出的。

第二财政部长拿督斯里阿米尔·哈姆扎·阿齐赞此前曾表示，即将出台的国家预算将重点提高国家的“社会底线”，并在经济增长优先事项之外加强制度治理。

APHM表示，此次通话是为了紧急保障患者安全，而不是例行的行政申诉。

MMC 的核心职能包括颁发医生执照、执行职业操守和裁决纪律调查，这些职能构成了患者对医疗能力和问责制信心的基石。

该协会认为，资源受限的监管机构面临着纪律处分时间过长、合规执法力度减弱以及运营能力下降等风险，难以跟上快速扩张的医疗保健行业。

库尔吉特博士还将资金短缺与更广泛的医疗旅游经济联系起来，他认为，一个创造大量国家收入的行业必须对保障其全球声誉的监管体系进行再投资。

他强调医疗旅游业是“国家收入持续增长的贡献者”，并认为该行业创造的经济价值应该有助于维持那些确立马来西亚在海外临床信誉的监管和认证机构。

声明称：“确保这些机构获得充足的资金是对患者安全、专业责任和公众信任的必要投资”，并警告说，如果没有充足的财政支持，“维持严格的标准、执行治理和不断改进医疗服务的能力将受到严重限制”。

APHM补充说，它“随时准备与卫生部和相关利益攸关方合作”，为这三家机构建立可持续的财政支持。

一名女子被发现死于瓜拉江沙的家中，警方逮捕了两名嫌疑人，据信是其亲属关系。

安华总理表示，马来西亚通过对话而非不信任来处理与邻国的争端。

警方追捕一名摩托车司机，此前一段疯传的视频显示，两名女学生在武吉默塔占学校外被撞倒。