Health Ministry to receive an additional RM350 million, bringing total allocation to RM1 billion to accelerate EMR digitalisation across hospitals and clinics
PUTRAJAYA: The additional allocation of RM350 million, bringing the total allocation to RM1 billion for the Health Ministry (MOH), will enable the ministry to expand and accelerate the implementation of the Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system, including at more than 2,000 health clinics nationwide.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the allocation was crucial to accelerate the digitalisation of healthcare, besides providing a boost and enhancing the credibility of the initiative.
“With this allocation, it gives us not only a morale boost, but also strengthens the credibility of and expedites the digitalisation of the public healthcare sector.
“We (MOH) can also double the target number of public healthcare facilities (to be equipped with digital systems),” he told Bernama after attending the National Day 2026 celebration at Dataran Putrajaya here today.
He said the additional allocation would enable MOH to accelerate the implementation of the EMR compared with the original plan, thereby expanding the use of digital medical systems.
Dzulkefly said MOH would also ensure that the initiative was implemented promptly and more efficiently, including reviewing the needs of hospitals.
“Of course, I will go to the ground and conduct visits because this initiative will take effect tomorrow. But with this allocation, we need to determine how best to implement it. We will implement it promptly and more efficiently, insya-Allah,” he said.
He said the public healthcare digitalisation initiative was large-scale, involving 150 hospitals and 2,000 health clinics nationwide.
“This initiative is expected to help improve the efficiency of the public healthcare system, including reducing waiting times, improving the patient experience and easing congestion at healthcare facilities,” he said, adding that the digitalisation would help improve working conditions and increase the productivity of healthcare personnel.
Meanwhile, Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo said his ministry was ready to implement the AI (artificial intelligence) for the People programme within the stipulated timeframe.
He said the ministry had made the necessary preparations following the announcement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is also the Finance Minister, during the recent launch of AI Malaysia.
“On our side, we have made the necessary preparations and we are ready,” he said, adding that the target of 100,000 participants for the programme was achievable.
“It is definitely possible. We will implement it in stages,” he added.
Anwar, when delivering the 2026 National Day Prime Minister’s Address yesterday, announced six aditional measures for the people, namely restoring the BUDI MADANI eligibility quota to 300 litres for BUDI95 and 400 litres for BUDI Diesel; increasing the allocation for school maintenance by RM500 million, bringing the total allocation for 2027 to RM1.5 billion; and introducing a three-month free AI subscription programme targeting an initial 100,000 youths aged between 18 and 30.
The prime minister also announced a RM1 billion allocation to accelerate digitalisation of the healthcare sector involving 150 hospitals and 2,000 health clinics; raising the e-Invoice exemption threshold from RM1 million to RM3 million; as well as providing RM200 million under the MADANI Sejahtera Grant and an additional RM1 billion in financing for micro businesses in 2026, bringing the total to RM6 billion.
