Since the arrival of the PCV to Malaysia in October 2005, only about 15% of our birth cohort have been vaccinated against the pneumococcus, and virtually all of these were in the private health sector.
We urge the government to adopt long-term, durable policies toward sustainable health care financing, establishing oversight mechanisms, and public-private partnerships.
The budget for mental health services and infrastructure observed a whopping 61% (RM42 million) reduction from RM69 million in 2020 to RM26 million in 2021. This is the lowest ever monetary allocation towards mental health services and infrastructure.
One point very evident in the budget is how much importance has been given in addressing the issues with short-term measures. Quick wins. The low hanging fruits. There isn’t much evidence of long-term measures.
The anti-vaccination movement has elements that may be considered conspiracy theories, such as the narrative of vaccine emergence as a sinister strategy to sterilise or infect non-Western cultures.