KUALA LUMPUR - The Malaysian government has allocated RM32.4 billion (S$10.5 billion) for the Health Ministry under Budget 2022.
The allocation for the Health Ministry is the second-largest after the Education Ministry, Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz told Parliament on Friday (Oct 29).
An additional RM4 billion will be set aside to battle the Covid-19 pandemic, of which RM2 billion will be spent on the Covid-19 vaccination roll-out.
Another RM2 billion will be used to bolster public healthcare facilities, including the procurement of medication, health kits, and personal protective equipment.
"The government is also planning to procure antiviral drugs that are effective against various viruses including Covid-19," Datuk Seri Zafrul said in his Budget 2022 speech.
The government has signed an agreement to procure 88 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, equivalent to more than 140 per cent of the population, and enough to give third doses to those aged 12 and upwards.
Due to the detrimental effect of the pandemic on mental health, RM70 million has also been allocated for mental health programmes and support.
The government also plans to extend income tax exemption for health check-ups, including costs for consultations with psychiatrists, clinical psychologists and counsellors.
To support children orphaned due to Covid-19, Mr Zafrul said RM25 million will be allocated for their education and welfare.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said on Friday (Oct 29) that the country would procure the Pfizer and BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for children, following a United States expert panel's recommendation for the shot to be authorised for those aged five to 11.
A panel of advisers to the US Food and Drug Administration voted on Tuesday to recommend the authorisation, saying the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks.
Mr Khairy said on Twitter that other vaccine options, such as China's Sinovac, would also be considered to ensure schools can reopen safely.
Some 62 per cent of Malaysian teenagers aged between 12 and 17 are fully vaccinated as at Friday.
The country is currently in the process of vaccinating teenagers, and administering booster shots for high-risk groups.
Recipients of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine will receive the same vaccine for their third dose while recipients of the Sinovac vaccine will get the Pfizer shot as a booster.
"Just to reassure everyone about the heterologous booster, I was a Sinovac recipient. Before I left for my World Health Organisation meeting, I had a Pfizer booster," Mr Khairy said on Twitter.
Separately, Mr Khairy said the results of the government's clinical trial on the use of antiparasitic drug ivermectin to treat Covid-19 will be presented to the public next week.
"The great debate locally on ivermectin will be settled soon. We did a local study on ivermectin and the results are in," he said.
Malaysia reported 6,060 new Covid-19 cases on Friday.
