A DAP lawmaker has urged Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to put public healthcare before spending for his own department in the upcoming Budget 2017.

"Najib needs to set the right priority in the coming Budget 2017 as it is pathetic to see that in the country where its PM has billions of 'donations' in his personal bank account, patients and their family are suffering," said Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching in a statement.

Teo noted that the allocation for the Health Ministry in 2015 was RM23.31 billion, but that was reduced to RM23.03 billion in 2016.

But at the same time, allocation for PM’s Department increased from RM19.2 billion to RM20.3 billion.

"What projects under the PM’s Department can be more important than saving lives?" she asked.

Teo said millions of Malaysians rely on government healthcare as they cannot afford private alternatives.

The Health Ministry budget cut by RM280 million this year has already manifested negative consequences, she said.

She cited the case of Pathology department of Tengku Ampuan Rahmah Hospital in Klang notifying hospital staffs of a temporary halt in pathology laboratory investigations, due to inadequate funds.

She also noted how a prostate cancer patient seeking a blood test at the Sultanah Nora Ismail Hospital in Batu Pahat was told that the result might take a few days because the hospital ran out of its allocation for tests.

Meanwhile, the Selayang Hospital did not have chemical reagents to run creatinine blood test in late September, while some government clinics stopped screening pregnant women for Hepatitis B despite its high prevalence in the region.

Teo also noted that statistics from the Health Ministry have shown an increase in the numbers of patients at public health facilities, with an estimated 8 percent increase from January to May this year, compared to the same period in the past year.

This translates to over three million additional patients who are visiting public health clinics, said Teo.