KUALA LUMPUR – The number of ministers appointed as co-chairs on the board of directors of the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) has been reduced under the unity government administration, Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said.
She said the previous administration had appointed the health minister, economy minister, and the finance minister to the MHTC Board.
“To me, having the health minister and the economy is good because MoH not only plays a role in the operations of public health services but also contributes to the economic aspects of the country.
“Of course, it is appropriate to have the economy minister (as joint chairman in MHTC), (and) there are no issues if there is no tourism, arts and culture minister…(as) we constantly engage with the ministry,” she said.
Zaliha said this during the debate on the Supply Bill 2024 at the committee level for MoH at the Dewan Rakyat today.
Earlier, during the debate session, Datuk Dr Zulkafperi Hanapi (Tanjong Karang-PN) raised the significance of Zaliha and Rafizi Ramli’s appointments to the MHTC Board and also questioned why Tourism, Arts, and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing was not included.
Meanwhile, on the shortage of nurses, Zaliha said the unity government is making every effort to address the issue, including taking steps to absorb almost all nursing graduates from MoH’s training institutes into permanent positions in all MoH facilities.
She said the Malaysian Nursing Board has been asked to reduce qualification requirements and provide an additional six-month period for graduates who do not meet the qualifications for nursing.
“This is what the unity government is doing to solve problems. We are not just talking about the causes of the problem but seeking solutions. Each matter also needs to be studied first, and not just provide answers,” she said.
Dewan Rakyat then approved the management and development expenditure estimate totaling RM41.22 billion allocated to MoH in Budget 2024. – November 20, 2023