Gov't hospital charges are cheapest in the world, says Najib

PETALING JAYA: The medical and health charges imposed by government hospitals and clinics in Malaysia are the cheapest in the world.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak said Putrajaya which allocates large amount of money to provide health service facilities also imposed the lowest fees in the world on patients.
"When an outpatient sees a doctor, the person needs only pay RM1, while a fee of RM5 is charged if he or she goes to a specialist doctor, and medicine is given free," he said last Friday in Sri Aman.
He said there is no other health system in the world which charges such low a rate.
"Generally, the health subsidy in Malaysia is at 98%, which means that 98% of the health costs for every patient are borne by the government," he added.
Najib said this showed that the health system in Malaysia is among the best in the world.
"If we do an analysis of the cost and service provided, I dare to say that the health system in Malaysia is the best in the world," he added.
Najib said Malaysia was ranked the third-best out of 24 countries in the world in the provision of health facilities.