Premium economy healthcare service Rakan KKM delayed to first quarter of 2026 , Parliament told

thestar.com.my · Feb 24, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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KUALA LUMPUR: Rakan KKM, which is the government’s healthcare premium economy service, has been delayed to the first quarter of 2026, says the Health Ministry.This is despite the earlier targets of receiving its first patient at the end of 2025. The ministry said the final preparatory phase is ongoing.The pilot hospital will be the Cyberjaya Hospital and it involves the Orthopaedic and Internal Medicine services.This will, however, be subjected to the finalisation of the contract agreement between the Health Ministry and Rakan KKM Sdn Bhd (RKSB) as well as the relevant licensing approvals.“Rakan KKM is a targeted enhancement to the existing system. It provides an affordable paid service option for elective cases to those who can afford it, without affecting existing public patients’ access,” he said in a parliamentary written reply dated Tuesday (Feb 23). “This initiative is designed to retain specialists within the public sector and to generate additional revenue to be reinvested into the government healthcare system,” he added.It said the implementation of Rakan KKM does not affect the core duties of specialists and healthcare personnel, as the services are carried out only in accordance with existing regulations and circulars.It said personnel involved will utilise the Specialist Flexible Working Hours facility, which allows for specialists to undertake external work one day per week during their official working hours“In addition, the use of hospital facilities involves only designated facilities leased to Rakan KKM. Rental proceeds will be channelled back to support improvements in public healthcare services, including maintenance of facilities and enhancement of service capacity in government hospitals,” the ministry said. The ministry was responding to a question by Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong (BN-Ayer Hitam) on the status of the implementation of the RakanKKM programme, including the progress of the pilot project to date. Dr Wee had also asked whether the government will continue to restructure or discontinue the programme in view of concerns raised regarding transparency, governance, patient access and its implications for the public healthcare system.