BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – The health ministry will raise its budget by 37% in the 2024/25 fiscal year to fund the hiring of more healthcare professionals, building of new medical facilities and improving healthcare delivery through artificial intelligence.
Unveiling the proposed health budget of $573.06 million at the Legislative Council on Tuesday, Health Minister Dato Dr Hj Md Isham Hj Jaafar said rising treatment costs of patients at Gleneagles JPMC and Pantai Jerudong Specialist Center contributed to the big budget hike.
The treatment of patients at the two private hospitals will cost about $150 million, a 35.9% jump from the previous fiscal year’s allocation and taking up over a quarter of the ministry’s budget in the upcoming financial year.
Healthcare spending in FY 2024/25 will prioritise five areas — upgrading facilities and medical equipment, improving screening for non-communicable diseases, promoting effective human resource planning to produce competent healthcare workers, increasing the use of digital technologies in work processes and leveraging information technology systems to support Green Protocol initiatives.
New health facilities in the works
The ministry has earmarked $319.03 million for development projects over five years. The projects include the construction of a new block at Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha (RIPAS) Hospital, new building for surgery at Suri Seri Begawan Hospital, two new health centres and a national reference laboratory to improve Brunei’s readiness in dealing with pandemics and medical emergencies.
Dato Dr Hj Md Isham said a rehabilitation centre for adults and children, and new block for surgery will be built at Belait’s Suri Seri Begawan Hospital, as part of the 12th National Development Plan that will be launched later this year.
The Belait hospital will also get a new $3.18 million building for emergency services under the 11th National Development Plan.
In addition, a health centre will be built at Mengkubau to meet the primary healthcare needs of residents in Mukim Mentiri and parts of Mukim Kota Batu.
Another health centre is in the pipeline at Bandar Seri Begawan for Mukim Gadong A and B, Mukim Kianggeh and Mukim Sungai Kedayan residents. The health centre is also expected to house the National Screening Centre and National Blood Centre.
The minister said the construction of the National Reference Laboratory Complex will strengthen analytical capabilities, cut the country’s reliance on analytical labs abroad and support the development of the food industry. The cost and location of the lab were not disclosed.
Preparations are also under way to build a new block at RIPAS Hospital, which will be equipped with 500 beds and provide a larger space for medical specialty services.
Dato Dr Hj Md Isham said upgrading works will also be done on the 40-year RIPAS Hospital and 50-year Suri Seri Begawan Hospital to ensure the safety and well-being of patients and visitors.
The infrastructure upgrades include the renovating the wards, intensive care unit and public toilets, as well as installing energy-efficient equipment.
MoH is also revamping its Health Information Management System (Bru-HIMS), using artificial intelligence to improve healthcare delivery and streamline the work processes of healthcare workers.
The system is expected to integrate with private healthcare facilities and the BruHealth mobile app, allowing users to access their medical records, book appointments and make digital payments.
Gov’t pushes for increased uptake of health screening
MoH will launch new health screening services to boost the early detection and treatment of diseases.
Dato Dr Hj Md Isham said the latest molecular detection method of human papillomavirus (HPV) can identify the virus gene before cancer cells start to form and symptoms begin to show.
Cervical cancer is the most common type of cancer caused by HPV and is the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths among Bruneian women.
The HPV test kit allows women to take a sample at home, and the sample can be sent to the nearest clinic without waiting for an appointment.
The World Health Organization said the DNA-based test is less prone to human errors and proved to be effective in preventing cervical cancer.
The minister further said the national diabetic retinopathy screening programme will be introduced using AI.
AI can be used to detect changes in the retina of the eye, promoting early detection and treatment of diabetic retinopathy, which causes vision loss and blindness in people with diabetes.
“This innovative method can also increase screening capacity where each test only takes a short time of about 10 to 15 minutes compared to the current 2 to 3 hours,” Dato Dr Hj Md Isham said.
He added that mobile screening for diabetic retinopathy is available and the test is affordable, compared to spending on eye surgeries that can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
A total of 283 diabetic retinopathy patients were recorded in 2023, compared to 251 in the previous year, MoH figures show.
The health ministry will also expand the non-communicable disease screening programme on the BruHealth app.
Four types of health screening will be accessible in phases on the app and users who fulfil the screening criteria based on their medical information will be invited to undergo a check-up, the minister said.
Cardiovascular disease and colorectal cancer screenings are currently available through BruHealth, while cervical cancer and breast cancer screening will soon be introduced on the app.
Dato Dr Hj Md Isham said more than half of 2,861 people who underwent cardiovascular disease screening last year were found to have high cholesterol.
Furthermore, 29% were obese and 17% had hypertension.
The minister added that the health literacy level of highly-educated people is low, based on study findings.
“This means that even though educated people know and understand the consequences of diseases or health risks, they do not adopt health advice and are not wise enough to make better health choices,” he said.
MoH targets recruitment of nearly 1,000 healthcare workers over 4 years
The ministry is aiming to hire 996 healthcare professionals from 2023 to 2027 to expand its services and improve patient care.
Dato Dr Hj Md Isham said 507 healthcare jobs had been created in the current and upcoming fiscal years, including vacancies for 84 doctors, 323 nurses and 100 allied health professionals.
Brunei had been facing a shortage of 800 to 1,000 nurses, with a ratio of 71 nurses per 10,000 population in 2022. The ratio is well below the recommended 83 nurses per 10,000 population in the United Nations’ sustainable development goals.
The minister further said that 120 Bruneians now make up 70% of specialist doctors and consultant physicians in the country.
To strengthen mental health clinical services, the number of local psychiatrists has increased from one in 2014 to four this year.
Moreover, there are now six clinical psychologists and 18 psychologists, up from four clinical psychologists and 14 psychologists in 2014.
The number of people diagnosed with anxiety and depression had been rising over the past few years, and about 7,000 patients were undergoing treatment for mental illnesses.
An additional 14 psychologists from Jerudong Park Medical Centre are handling calls for the 24-hour mental health helpline Talian Harapan 145, as part of their corporate social responsibility initiative.
Meanwhile, $1.21 million has been set aside for the training of healthcare professionals in FY 2024/25, on top of the in-service training budget under the Prime Minister’s Office.
The minister said the budget for training grew $226,000 from the previous year, but the allocation is “considered small compared to the amount of training costs in increasing the level of professionalism in medicine”.
“This increase [in budget for training] shows how important it is to improve the skills of staff at all levels and in all fields,” he said.
MoH will spend another $309,000 on training programmes conducted by foreign experts, including the Healthcare Leadership Executive Programme to strengthen the leadership skills of officers who have been identified as potential leaders.
Collaborating with Singhealth, the ministry will start the programme in May. Singhealth is Singapore’s largest public healthcare provider.