TopicsPolitician AnalysisAhmad Yunus Hairi

Ahmad Yunus Hairi

Ahmad Yunus Hairi

Party
PAS · Malaysian Islamic Party
Coalition
PN
Constituency
Kuala Langat
State
Selangor
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Why this matters to you

As chair of PN's Health Committee and a member of Parliament's Special Select Committee on Health, Dr Ahmad Yunus directly scrutinises how the Ministry of Health spends public funds — meaning his questions in the Dewan Rakyat can surface issues such as medicine shortages, hospital staffing shortfalls, and healthcare budget cuts that affect patients at government clinics and hospitals across Malaysia (Source: codeblue.galencentre.org/2026/06/mp-slams-health-spending-cuts-wants-parliament-tabling). His advocacy on drug procurement — including urging the government to fund alternative insulin supplies for diabetes patients during a nationwide MOH shortage — has a direct bearing on whether lower-income Malaysians can continue to access essential medicines at public facilities without out-of-pocket costs (Source: codeblue.galencentre.org/2024/08/government-must-pay-for-patients-to-get-insulin-from-university-hospitals-private-facilities-amid-moh-shortage-lawmakers). His stance on private health insurance regulation, including calls for standardised claims timelines and restrictions on pre-existing condition exclusions, is relevant to Malaysians who hold medical insurance policies and face delays or denials of claims (Source: codeblue.galencentre.org/2025/12/mps-demand-regulation-of-health-insurance-for-fairer-claims-process).

Summary

Datuk Dr Ahmad Yunus Hairi is a PAS politician and medical doctor who has represented Kuala Langat in the Dewan Rakyat since November 2022 and Sijangkang in the Selangor state assembly since 2008. He chairs Perikatan Nasional's parliamentary health committee and sits on the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Health, where his medical background underpins consistent scrutiny of the Ministry of Health's budget, staffing, and drug procurement policies. His career spans more than fifteen years of elected office, including six years as a Selangor State EXCO member under two Pakatan administrations before PAS moved into opposition.

Biography

Datuk Dr Ahmad Yunus bin Hairi (born 20 March 1965) is a Malaysian politician and medical doctor who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Kuala Langat (P112) since November 2022, representing PAS under the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition [1]. He is simultaneously the Selangor State Legislative Assembly member for Sijangkang (N51), a seat he has held since March 2008 [1]. A native of Kampung Sijangkang, he obtained his Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) from Universiti Malaya in 1991 [2]. Before his parliamentary career, he served as a Member of the Selangor State Executive Council (EXCO) under both Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim and Azmin Ali, from February 2012 to May 2018, holding the Islamic Affairs, Malay Customs and Heritage, and Rural Development portfolio [3]. He also held the Youth, Sports, Infrastructure and Public Facilities executive councillor role during part of that period [4]. He served as the 15th State Commissioner of PAS Selangor from 2019 to October 2023 [1]. At the federal level, he chairs Perikatan Nasional's MPs' Health Committee and sits on the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Health [5]. His parliamentary focus is predominantly on public healthcare policy, where his background as a practising doctor informs sustained scrutiny of the Ministry of Health's budget, staffing, and service delivery decisions [5].

Known for

Dr Ahmad Yunus is recognised as Perikatan Nasional's principal parliamentary voice on healthcare, chairing the PN MPs' Health Committee and sitting on the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Health [5]. He is one of the few sitting MPs who is also a qualified medical doctor, giving him standing to engage technical healthcare policy debates including national health insurance, Ministry of Health restructuring, and drug procurement [5]. He has held elected office continuously since 2008, first at state level as Sijangkang assemblyman and EXCO member, and at the federal level since November 2022 [1].

Political positions

On public healthcare financing, Dr Ahmad Yunus supports the introduction of a national health insurance scheme for the M40 and T20 income groups while maintaining subsidies for the B40 [5]. He has opposed the government's Rakan KKM programme on the grounds that it would create a two-tiered public health system that prioritises paying patients over those in clinical need [5]. He has called for the Ministry of Health's proposed 2026 operational expenditure cuts — estimated at approximately RM4.65 billion or 10 per cent — to be tabled in Parliament for scrutiny, warning that a hiring freeze and drug controls risk patient safety [5]. He opposes the mandatory drug price display policy for private clinics, citing concerns over the viability of private general practitioners who form nearly 45 per cent of primary healthcare services [5]. He was the first lawmaker to publicly oppose the federal manufacturing licence granted to US-based Ispire Technology Inc. for vape production, arguing it contradicts Malaysia's anti-smoking legislation [5]. On fiscal oversight, he has supported legislative reform that would require parliamentary approval or review for large-scale budget cuts by the Executive [5]. He has also opposed the outright removal of healthcare subsidies from higher-income groups and the complete abolition of sugar subsidies [5].

References

  1. [1]en.wikipedia.org
  2. [2]pru.sinarharian.com.my
  3. [3]utusan.com.my
  4. [4]thestar.com.my
  5. [5]codeblue.galencentre.org

Education

  1. 1991Obtained Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) from Universiti Malaya.⛓

Political career

  1. March 2008First elected as Member of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly for Sijangkang (N51) under PAS, as part of the Pakatan Rakyat coalition's historic gains in Selangor.⛓
  2. February 2012Appointed Member of the Selangor State Executive Council (EXCO) under Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim, holding the Islamic Affairs, Malay Customs and Heritage, and Rural Development portfolio.⛓
  3. May 2013Re-elected as Sijangkang state assemblyman in the 13th General Election (GE13), retaining his EXCO position.⛓
  4. May 2018Re-elected as Sijangkang state assemblyman in GE14 with a majority of 1,677 votes, winning 12,688 votes (32.2%). His EXCO tenure ended in May 2018 when PAS formally exited the Pakatan Harapan state administration.⛓
  5. 2019Appointed 15th State Commissioner (Pesuruhjaya) of PAS Selangor.⛓
  6. 19 November 2022Elected Member of Parliament for Kuala Langat (P112) in GE15 under the PN coalition, winning with a majority of 1,833 votes (35.6% vote share).⛓
  7. August 2023Re-elected as Sijangkang state assemblyman for the fourth consecutive term in the 2023 Selangor state election, winning with a majority of 11,308 votes (48.4%).⛓
  8. October 2023Stepped down as PAS Selangor State Commissioner after serving in the role since 2019.⛓

Election history

  • 2023Sijangkang (N51) — Selangor StateWon48.4%⛓
  • 2022Kuala Langat (P112)Won35.6%⛓
  • 2018Sijangkang (N51) — Selangor StateWon32.2%⛓
  • 2013Sijangkang (N51) — Selangor StateWon⛓
  • 2008Sijangkang (N51) — Selangor StateWon⛓

Stance evolution

Public statements grouped chronologically. The party tag shows which party the politician was contesting under at that point.

  1. 2026PAS
    • The reduction of the MOH budget is not merely an internal administrative matter, as it involves changes to 2026 Budget allocations that have already been announced to Parliament and the public.

      Statement issued by Dr Ahmad Yunus responding to Ministry of Health operational expenditure cuts estimated at approximately RM4.65 billion, as reported by CodeBlue. · Source

  2. 2025PAS
    • Among the most concerning situations is that Rakan KKM will indirectly create a two-tiered public health care system.

      Statement by Dr Ahmad Yunus opposing the Ministry of Health's Rakan KKM programme, as reported by CodeBlue. · Source

  3. 2024PAS
    • This is not the time to burden patients with co-payments. There is no reason for the government not to bear the cost of medications at this time.

      Response to CodeBlue regarding the Ministry of Health's nationwide insulin shortage, urging the government to fund alternative supplies for diabetes patients. · Source

  4. 2023PAS
    • I think it is time that a national health insurance scheme is introduced.

      Interview with CodeBlue in Parliament on 28 March 2023, published 10 April 2023, on the topic of healthcare financing reform. · Source

Perspectives on key issues

  • OppositionAs PN health committee chairman, Dr Ahmad Yunus consistently frames the Madani government's healthcare decisions — from MOH budget cuts to Rakan KKM and vape licensing — as prioritising fiscal or commercial interests over public health outcomes, and demands greater parliamentary oversight.⛓
  • VerifiedFactsDr Ahmad Yunus won the Kuala Langat parliamentary seat in GE15 (November 2022) with 52,867 votes (35.6%), a majority of 1,833, in a five-cornered contest. He simultaneously holds the Sijangkang state seat, which he has retained since 2008.⛓
  • GovernmentHealth Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad has denied that Rakan KKM constitutes privatisation of the public healthcare system, a characterisation directly disputed by Dr Ahmad Yunus.⛓
  • IndustryDr Ahmad Yunus has cited the Malaysian Medical Association's position in opposing the drug price display policy for private clinics, noting that GPs' consultation fees have stagnated for 33 years while operating costs have risen.⛓
  • ExpertFormer Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin publicly agreed with Dr Ahmad Yunus that granting a federal manufacturing licence to a US-based vape company sends 'the wrong kind of message' contradicting Malaysia's anti-smoking goals.⛓

Sources

Every URL the AI used to draft this profile, for editor and reader verification.

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