The Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH) is requesting additional allocations in the 2026 Budget to increase the allowances of staff working in rural areas in recognition of the challenges faced by limited access and high cost of living.
The purpose of this application is to correct the financial imbalance between those working in cities and those in rural areas, including extraordinary duty allowances and rural incentives which are currently seen as insufficient.
In addition, the Deputy Secretary-General (Finance) of the MOH, Datuk Seri Zahrul Hakim Abdullah stated that more than six proposals have been submitted and hope to be approved to further improve the quality of services in the future.
The proposed increase in allowances is expected to motivate health staff to maintain their services in remote areas which often suffer from staff shortages and infrastructure constraints.
If approved, this measure can also improve the quality of public health services in rural areas as staff will be more financially viable and prepared to face additional costs such as transportation and placements far from the city center.
However, the effectiveness of the allowance increase will depend on the extent to which the government allocates sufficient budget and ensures that allowance payments are handled fairly and accurately for all eligible employees.
