Budget 2027: HKL plans facility upgrades and digital health system rollout

HKL director Datuk Dr Harikrishna K R Nair said the allocation would help the 156-year-old hospital modernise its electrical systems and other facilities, as well as strengthen its information technology infrastructure. — Picture by Raymond Manuel

First Published: Saturday, 10 Oct 2026 1:46 PM MYT

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 10 — The government’s increased allocation for healthcare under Budget 2027 is seen as a catalyst for Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) to upgrade its infrastructure and accelerate its transition to a fully digital hospital.

HKL director Datuk Dr Harikrishna K R Nair said the allocation would help the 156-year-old hospital modernise its electrical systems and other facilities, as well as strengthen its information technology infrastructure.

“We are quite happy because Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has increased the healthcare allocation by RM1.2 billion compared with last year. This will help us improve facilities for patients. HKL is already 156 years old, so our electrical systems and other infrastructure are different. 

“We are already replacing our lifts and upgrading other facilities, and the additional budget will help us upgrade most of the systems as we are planning to go as a full total Health Information System hospital, that means completely computerised,” he told Bernama when met at the Community Programme and Healthy Lifestyle Fun Run held in conjunction with World Heart Day 2026 at Perdana Botanical Gardens here today.

He said HKL was among 16 hospitals scheduled to implement the Health Information System next year, with RM200 million allocated for the initiative.

He said the system would enable specialists from different disciplines to access patients’ medical information electronically, streamlining hospital operations, and reducing the need for patients to repeatedly provide the same information during consultations.

“This will make things easier and improve staff management. Patients will also benefit because they will not have to answer the same questions at every stage of their treatment, as their information will be accessible to specialists across different disciplines,” he said.

On efforts to address non-communicable diseases (NCDs), Dr Harikrishna said the funding was crucial as it would also enable HKL to procure newer medicines and carry out more medical procedures, thereby improving access to treatment.

“With sufficient funding, we can procure more of these medicines and carry out more procedures. We also outsource some simpler cases under Skim Perubatan MADANI, managed by ProtectHealth, and the allocation for this has also been increased,” he said.

Increased funding for outsourcing services would help reduce waiting times, enabling patients to receive treatment sooner and lower the risk of complications.

“Expanding outsourcing services will help reduce waiting times, lower the risk of complications and improve patients’ access to medicines and other treatments. This will be beneficial not only for HKL but also for the Ministry of Health (MOH) as a whole,” he also said.

Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, announced RM47.7 billion for the MOH when tabling Budget 2027 in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday, up from RM46.5 billion last year.

He also announced RM1.2 billion for the maintenance and repair of public hospitals and clinics, including upgrading the remaining dilapidated clinics, while the allocation for outsourcing patients to other hospitals was increased to RM200 million, alongside expanded collaboration enabling the public healthcare sector to use private healthcare facilities. — Bernama