Health Ministry to outsource some elements of comprehensive healthcare services to qualified NGO's

GEORGE TOWN: The Health Ministry plans to outsource some elements of its comprehensive healthcare services to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to ensure that quality care can reach all levels of society, said its Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam.
If the NGOs have proven to offer quality care and have the necessary accreditation, he does not see why they cannot be part of the process to help the Federal government to offer quality care to chronic ailment sufferers and medical patients.
"We can distribute the load of caring and have the private sector help balance the commitments of the public sector in providing quality healthcare," he said after launching the Integrated Holistic Therapy Center at the Derma Sivasanta Clinic in River Road.
He praised the clinic's main activist P. Murugiah for his social work and passion in promoting the clinic to the masses here.
Subramaniam said the clinic, which has branches in Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru, were examples of how NGOs can help alleviate the burden of providing care.
He said the ministry will continue to provide support, citing the increment in the subsidizing amount for dialysis treatment for certain non - profit orientated NGOs from RM50 to RM100 this year.
Subramaniam also spoke about the greater emphasis by the ministry on traditional and complementary healthcare treatment in the last five years.
With the advent of the Traditional and Complementary Healthcare Act, the ministry is now firmly entrenched as the regulator of alternative medication, and it will enforce the regulations to ensure the practitioners abide by the rules, he stressed.
It is all about providing a holistic form of treatment in the new age of healthcare.
Subramaniam said that he wants those who lay claim to being able to cure chronic ailments such as diabetes to provide the necessary scientific proof.
There are six groups of complementary healthcare provided by the public hospitals and clinics throughout the country, and they range from Malay, Chinese, Indian, Orang Asli, Islamic and small ethnic groups of curative practices.