PETALING JAYA: The setting up of a 13-member Advisory Council on the Health White Paper is welcome, says the Organization of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM).
In a statement on Wed (Aug 31), its president Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh ( picture ) said that the Association will assist in stakeholder engagement with the Council to contribute.
The APHM statement in full below is really as follows;
The Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia welcomes the announcement of the 13 member Advisory Authorities of the Health Whitened Paper by Wellness Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
Private hospitals will help in the stakeholder wedding with the Advisory Council and provide knowledge plus suggestions on the cooperation that the private health care sector can give rise to the nation. Private hospitals have got close to 50 years of experience in this country. Even though private hospitals associates are not within the advisory council, our assistance to the ministry and the advisory council will be promised to be really beneficial.
Personal healthcare have regarding 43 percent overall expenditure on health as reported in the Malaysia National Wellness Accounts Health Expenditure Report 1997-2019 [published by Malaysia National Health Accounts Section, Planning Division of Ministry of Health Malaysia] along with 35% private household out of pocket plus 8% private insurance policy [which is a combination of private hospitals and private clinics]. This has significantly reduced the federal government expenditure particularly for individuals who can afford private health care.
The involvement of former health minister Tan Sri Dr S. Subramaniam and Axiata Team chairman, Tan Sri Shahril Ridza Ridzuan will be a great resource to the white papers as it will strengthen the salient popular features of the objective of the paper. The Council must have economists and health care financial experts rather than exclusively medical doctors in order to have the desired results.
The main drive of the White Paper should focus on the restructuring of general public health care in order to provide easy and seamless health care to all citizens along with smart partnership along with private healthcare without any change in the current business structure from the private healthcare which includes any sort of regulatory initiatives in cost.
Currently private healthcare cost in Malaysia is the lowest in the region despite the increasing cost of imported healthcare products and products. The contribution of 230 plus private hospitals within urbans and sub-urbans parts of the country have improved the accessibility to healthcare to many citizens plus non-citizens including from local corporate entities and foreign business investment companies. Medical tourism is an extra source of income for the country that the white paper should consider to reinforce it further.
DATUK DOCTOR KULJIT SINGH
Chief executive
Association of Hostipal wards Malaysia
31 August 2022