The Malaysian Women’s Action for Tobacco Control and Health (MyWATCH) expresses its profound sadness, frustration, and extreme disappointment with Budget 2027.
After years of repeated appeals from public health professionals, civil society organisations and health advocates, we had hoped that Budget 2027 would finally signal a decisive shift towards protecting the health of Malaysians through meaningful fiscal policies, stronger tobacco control, effective non-communicable disease (NCD) prevention, and sustained investment in health promotion.
Instead, we are left wondering whether our repeated calls have simply fallen on deaf ears. Where is the government’s commitment to preventing disease rather than merely paying for its consequences?
