By Ashley Sim
KUCHING, Jan 8: Deputy Health Minister Lukanisman Awang Sauni asserts that all proposals made by the Sarawak government will be taken into account in the preparation of the White Paper that the Ministry of Health (MOH) will present to Parliament.
Lukanisman told reporters this today at a press conference following his visit to the Petra Jaya Hospital site here.
“In conversations with the Deputy Premier of Sarawak, Prof Sim (Dato Sri Dr Sim Kian Hui), I learned that the State also drafted recommendations for the Health White Paper, which includes the Sarawak government’s demand for autonomy in health matters.
“The autonomous power is not intended to take over the entire healthcare system, but rather to improve it, along with the devolution of power to grant projects totaling RM50 million to Sarawak via a fund that will be established.
“That is still being discussed by YAB Prime Minister and the Sarawak Premier, and will be monitored and coordinated by YAB Deputy Prime Minister Dato Sri Fadillah,” he said.
Lukanisman also explained that the planning of health projects is currently centralised at the federal level, and that the proposal will be refined by federal and State leadership. — DayakDaily
