Its deputy minister Dr Hilmi Yahaya said both positions were very much needed, more so due to the increasing number of patients seeking treatment at government hospitals.

“We cannot cut (the recruitment) as we like. If we reduce the number of doctors and paramedics, our services will crumble and we always want to do what’s best for the people.

“In fact, the 2017 Budget tabled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on Friday announced an increase of RM2 billion in allocations for the health sector,” he told reporters after officiating the convocation ceremony of the Health Ministry’s Training Institute here today.

Dr Hilmi was commenting on the statement by the Penang state government’s think tank, Penang Institute, which urged the federal government to reform and downsize the public service sector in order to reduce the budget deficit.

Dr Hilmi said the proposal was illogical and would only make the public sector unproductive and weak.

On another development, Dr Hilmi said the public should not misunderstand the term, full paying patient (FPP) at government hospitals, after the information went viral.

He said FPP did not mean the privatisation of healthcare services at government hospitals, but instead referred to patients who could themselves afford to pay for their treatment.

“And if they require surgery, it can be done by the (government hospital) doctor after his office hours,” he said.

This, he added, did not affect existing services as the public could get free medical treatment by paying the registration fee of RM1 and paying the minimum of RM30 for ward admission.

Last Thursday, director-general of Health, Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah explained that the FPP was a retention package for the ministry’s medical specialists to discourage them from joining private hospitals.

At the convocation, 7,973 graduates from across the country received their certificates, diplomas and advanced diplomas in various fields.