KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 27 – The Ministry of Health (MOH) is planning to achieve two beds per 1,000 population by next year across public and private hospitals, said Dzulkefly Ahmad.
“The current ratio of hospital beds to the total population (BPR) of our country in 2018 is 1.98 beds per 1,000 residents. This ratio covers all hospitals nationwide including public and private hospitals,” he said in Parliament yesterday.
“Under the 11MP, MOH is aiming to achieve a two-bed ratio for every 1,000 residents by the end of 2020. As such, we are now on the right track to achieve that goal,” Dzulkefly added, referring to the 11th Malaysia Plan.
“Based on the allocation provided for hospital development under the previous Plan, the BPR increase is within 0.1 beds / 1,000 residents for every five years of the Malaysia Plan.”
Yet, Malaysia still lags behind the average target for developed nations, which is 2.5 beds per 1,000 population, due to budget issues, Dzulkefly said.
“To achieve a bed rate of 2.5 per 1,000 residents (average for developed countries), it requires high commitment from the government to provide greater funding for the construction of new hospitals or for upgrading existing hospitals,” he added.
“However, the rate of increase in the BPR also depends on the economic situation of the country, which may influence the hospital development plans of the private sector in general.”
