Statements & Responses
RRAAM Urges Government to Halt Ministry of Health Budget Cuts That Threaten Access and Essential Care
30 April 2026
Reproductive Rights Advocacy Alliance Malaysia (RRAAM) strongly objects to the proposed RM3.06 billion reduction to the Ministry of Health’s budget, which threatens to reverse significant gains and deepen existing inequalities in access to healthcare in Malaysia. Malaysia’s public healthcare system already navigates structural and operational challenges, including a rising demand for services, ageing facilities and an overstretched workforce. A funding cut as proposed pushes an already strained system closer to a breaking point.
We believe reductions in the Ministry of Health’s budget will have tangible and immediate consequences. Essential services ranging from primary care and maternal health to chronic disease management and preventative programmes will face major disruptions, delays or scaling back.
Medications may become less accessible or inconsistently available in public facilities, referrals to multidisciplinary care (including pain specialists or mental health support) may be limited, and overstretched healthcare professionals may have less time for patient-centred consultations. Government healthcare workers, who are already managing heavy workloads, will be further overburdened. Ultimately, compromising the quality and care of services delivered to individuals across Malaysia.
Doctors Have a Duty to Protect: Safe Abortion Access is a Health and Human Rights Issue
28 May 2025
Reproductive Rights Advocacy Alliance Malaysia (RRAAM) stands in solidarity with the woman in Melaka who was jailed for using medical abortion pills in May 2025. Full news.
More than 100,000 abortions are estimated to take place in Malaysia every year. According to RRAAM’s 2024 annual report, around 65% of RRAAM’s hotline clients seek information on medical abortion. However, the government continues to dismiss the urgent need to register medical abortion pills, and resists integrating this care into the public healthcare system.
Our laws remain stuck in the past. Malaysia’s abortion laws, inherited from the British Empire’s 1871 Indian Penal Code, still criminalise women and pregnant people today. Many do not realise abortion is permitted under certain conditions for the majority of women seeking abortions in Malaysia, as outlined in Section 312 of the Malaysian Penal Code. Lack of public information and unclear healthcare pathways leave those seeking care fearful and uncertain.