Budget 2027 and your health: what changes for patients in Kuala Lumpur

Budget 2027 health measures at a glance

Budget 2027 was tabled on 9 October 2026. These are the measures most likely to affect patients and families:

Most of these take effect in 2027. Tax changes still need to be passed in the Finance Bill.

Help with paying for treatment

• Medical Assistance Fund (Tabung Bantuan Perubatan): increased from RM40 million to RM60 million. It helps patients at government hospitals who can’t afford treatment or medical devices. Ask the hospital’s medical social work unit how to apply.
• PeKa B40: RM80 million, the same as in 2026. Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) recipients aged 40 and above, and their spouses, get free health screening, help with medical devices, and incentives to complete cancer treatment. Eligibility is automatic.
• MySalam: the free takaful protection scheme for lower-income Malaysians continues in 2027.
• Care aid for bedridden patients: the monthly aid for bedridden persons with disabilities and chronically ill patients rises from RM500 to RM600.

MediAsas and private hospital bills

MediAsas is a basic medical insurance and takaful plan that launches in January 2027. It is designed to be affordable for people who have no medical cover or have dropped a plan they could no longer pay for. Under Budget 2027:

• EPF members under 55 can pay MediAsas premiums from their Akaun Sejahtera.
• Companies with fewer than 75 staff get a RM200 subsidy for each employee’s first-year premium, for up to 50 employees. About 200,000 workers are expected to benefit.
• Hospitals will be paid by diagnosis and type of treatment (Diagnosis Related Groups), which aims to make costs more predictable.

Separately, from 2027 private hospitals must use standard, transparent charge categories on their bills, so patients can see and compare what they are paying for.

See our full guide: MediAsas explained: cover, premiums and who it suits.

Shorter waits at government hospitals

• Outsourcing to other facilities: the allocation for sending government patients elsewhere rises to RM200 million. It now includes using private facilities, including operating theatres, and covers expanded newborn screening, prenatal genetic tests and rehabilitation.
• More specialists: retired government specialists and private specialists can work sessions at government hospitals on more flexible terms and for longer.
• More permanent doctors: more than 9,000 contract doctors will be offered permanent posts in 2027. The monthly incentive for about 47,000 nurses and paramedics with post-basic training doubles from RM100 to RM200.
• Ambulances and equipment: more than RM770 million for medical equipment, including 400 new ambulances and upgraded haemodialysis facilities.

The new ambulances matter. In 2025, only about a third of the most urgent emergency calls were reached within the 15-minute target. In an emergency, always call 999. If you are unsure whether you need an ambulance, see our guide to clinic or emergency department.

Screening, fertility and vaccines

• Thalassaemia: free screening at Ministry of Health facilities is extended to the husbands and children of carriers. Thalassaemia is an inherited blood disorder. Two carriers have a 1 in 4 chance in each pregnancy of having a child with thalassaemia major, who needs lifelong blood transfusions. Screening helps couples know their risk.
• Fertility (BuAi programme): subsidised fertility treatment (intrauterine insemination) for 2,000 couples through LPPKN, and men’s wellness services for 42,000 people.
• HPV vaccine: the school programme for about 230,000 Year 6 girls moves to a vaccine that covers nine HPV types instead of two. See our HPV vaccine guide.
• Drivers: commercial vehicle drivers get PERKESO health screening vouchers worth up to RM30.
• Mobile clinics: 10 university teaching hospitals will run screening and mobile clinics for lower-income, vulnerable and rural communities.

For free screening you can already use, see free health screening in Malaysia 2026.

Elderly care

• Service tax on elderly care falls from 8% to 6% from 1 January 2027, and care fees of up to RM96,000 a year are fully exempt from service tax.
• Two senior daycare centres in Kuala Lumpur: two DBKL buildings, at the Anjung Kelana homeless transformation centre in Taman Desa and the Cheras temporary market, will be upgraded into senior daycare centres. Opening dates have not been announced.
• Getting around KL: 22 km of covered walkways, including links from homes to clinics, and buggies for older visitors at Tugu Negara, the Perdana Botanical Gardens and Carcosa.
• Bantuan Warga Emas: RM1.3 billion for about 200,000 recipients. A Senior Citizens Bill is also planned.

What it means for Kuala Lumpur

None of the four new health facilities named in the budget speech are in Kuala Lumpur. They are in Johor, Kuching, Gerik and Rembau. For KL residents, the most visible changes are likely to be:

• Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) is one of 16 hospitals rolling out a full Hospital Information System in 2027, with RM200 million for the initiative. HKL’s director said the aim is a fully computerised hospital, so patients don’t have to repeat their medical history at every stage of care. Lift replacement is under way, and electrical and IT upgrades are planned.
• Linked medical records: a separate RM1 billion investment by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) will connect electronic records across 150 hospitals and 2,488 health clinics under a “one person, one record” approach, with telehealth services.
• Repairs and air-conditioning: RM1.2 billion for maintaining public hospitals and clinics nationwide, including new air-conditioning at 600 Ministry of Health clinic facilities.
• The two senior daycare centres in Taman Desa and Cheras, and new covered walkways.

Tax relief changes for 2027

These apply from the 2027 year of assessment, once passed in the Finance Bill:

• Medical expenses relief is extended to postnatal care. News reports say the overall limit stays at RM10,000, with postnatal care capped at RM3,000 within it. Vaccinations, health screening, dental treatment and fertility treatment remain claimable.
• Relief for parents and grandparents now covers all care expenses, not only medical treatment.
• Individual relief rises from RM9,000 to RM12,000.

Keep receipts for medical, screening, vaccination and care expenses. Check the final rules with LHDN before filing.

What you can do now

1. If you are 40 or over, check whether you qualify for free screening through PeKa B40 or PERKESO, and book it before the year ends.
2. If you have no medical insurance, or are struggling with premiums, compare your current plan with MediAsas when insurers publish prices. Don’t cancel an existing policy until new cover is in place.
3. If thalassaemia runs in your family, ask your Klinik Kesihatan about free screening for your spouse and children.
4. If you care for an older parent, keep receipts for care costs, which can be claimed under the expanded relief from 2027.

Find a clinic near you

GP clinics can do health screening, explain your results and refer you to a specialist. Our directory lists GP clinics across Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and other states, with opening hours and directions.

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Frequently asked questions