UMMC, HPKK Getting 100% Emoluments Under Budget 2021

The minister of higher education says UMMC’s non-emolument need is very high and approval for non-emoluments is restricted based on a ceiling for teaching hospitals.

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 15 — Both University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) and UKM Specialist Children’s Hospital (HPKK) will still be getting full emoluments from the government under Budget 2021, Noraini Ahmad said.

The minister of higher education was responding to Jelutong MP RSN Rayer, who had asked her about the budget cuts for both UMMC and HPKK. UMMC, which is one of Malaysia’s Covid-19 hospitals, had a budget cut of 0.03 per cent, while HPKK had a budget cut of 9.83 per cent under Budget 2021.

Noraini, while wrapping up MOHE’s budget at the committee stage in Parliament today, explained that MOHE’s priority is to cover the cost of emoluments, while non-emoluments is given just as a general practice as in previous years. She said that both hospitals will receive 100 per cent of their emoluments.

“The need for non-emolument for UMMC is very high and the approval for the non-emolument is restricted based on the ceiling (cost) that is given to each teaching hospital,” Noraini told the Dewan Rakyat today.

“HPKK has been given the approval for full emolument which is 100 per cent for the year 2021, whereas non-emoluments with a total of RM21 million has also been given as according to previous practice.”

According to the minister, based on the projected expenditure for 2020 for HPKK, there has been some savings from the expenditure of the management grant, as HPKK is still under construction and only expected to complete March next year.

“We are committed if there’s any inadequate allocation for the year 2021, it will be covered from the savings of the ministry.”

However, Noraini did not comment on the budget cut for medications for teaching hospitals, which was cut by five per cent from RM100 million in 2020 to RM95 million next year.

Public university hospitals like UMMC provide advanced cancer treatment such as immunotherapy, which is not available in government hospitals, while HPKK aims to be a specialist centre for children to provide services in paediatrics, neonatology, child and adolescent gynaecology, paediatrics pathology, diagnostic and interventional radiology, paediatrics medical specialities, and paediatrics surgical specialities intensive.

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