Lack of patient awareness and the burden on hospitals to assist with applications have been cited as reasons for the low uptake of the Peka B40 completing cancer treatment incentive (CCTI).
Setiu MP Shaharizukirnain Abdul Kadir calls for more funding and better communication for the Peka B40 health care scheme, which faced a RM5 million budget cut in the 2023 budget.
MMA says including private GPs in NCD prevention and management will help spread patients out across clinics. Dr Milton Lum tells MPs to push Peka B40 screenings in their service centres.
Howard Lee says elected reps need to drive public health campaigns as community leaders, citing Kinta Valley in Perak that saw high participation in the Peka B40 health screening programme.
Khairy Jamaluddin says many older Peka B40 beneficiaries declined to undergo breast or prostate examinations when it was explained to them how the cancer screenings would be performed.
Dr Siti Mariah says Selangor Saring is meant to “supplement” the Peka B40 federal health screening scheme; Selangor Saring's free screenings are open to state residents across income levels.
The most common cancer types for the RM1,000 benefit last year to complete treatment were breast (30%), digestive system (21%), female genital (14%), and ENT (13%).
Besides administering 47% of Covid-19 vaccine doses under PICK, ProtectHealth has provided more than half a million health screenings under the PeKa B40 programme.
MPs ask for a digitised health care system, development of health infrastructure in Sabah, upgrades for public health clinics, and Covid-19 precautionary measures in schools.