{
  "id": 13382598,
  "title": "2027 Budget: Hospital outsourcing scheme to cover more patients, specialities",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/10/2027-budget-hospital-outsourcing-scheme-to-cover-more-patients",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-10-10T10:07:40.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2026/10/1552445/2027-budget-hospital-outsourcing-scheme-cover-more-patients"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "The Health Ministry plans to expand its Hospital Services Outsourcing Programme (HSOP) to cover more patients and potentially new specialities, following an RM200 million increase in its allocation under the 2027 Budget, according to a report by the New Straits Times. Deputy Director-General of Health (Medical) Datuk Dr Mohd Azman Yaacob stated that the additional RM56 million would allow the ministry to refer more patients to private hospitals for treatment, aiming to reduce waiting times and ease congestion at government hospitals. The HSOP, which currently covers specialities like nephrology, cardiology, and radiology, is being reviewed for potential expansion to other areas, including oncology.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}