PETALING JAYA: Medical treatment is expensive, whether it is at a public hospital or a private facility.
The only difference is that a patient has to pay at a private hospital while the government foots the bill at public hospitals, according to the Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM).
In defence of private hospitals being singled out for allegedly overcharging, APHM president Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh said most medical equipment and medication have to be imported and payments are made at the prevailing exchange rate.
“Medicare is a huge expense for the government. Billions of ringgit are spent on equipment and manpower at public hospitals,” Kuljit told theSun.
He was commenting on a claim by Wangsa Maju MP Datin Paduka Tan Yee Kew that a Covid-19 patient had been slapped with a RM400,000 bill after being warded at a private hospital.
Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin later proposed that the government uses Section 26 of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act to order private health facilities to help in the Covid-19 war to ease pressure on government hospitals.
In response to Tan’s claim, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the government looks at each case on its own merit to determine if it could reimburse a patient who has been forced to seek treatment for Covid-19 at a private hospital.
Kuljit said the treatment for Covid-19, particularly when a long-term admission at intensive care unit is necessary, is costly at private as well as public hospitals.
“At private hospitals, bills are itemised and patients would know the cost of each item and treatment,” he said.
“It is equally expensive at a public hospital. The only difference is that the cost is fully or heavily subsidised by the government.”
He said the cost of manpower for the healthcare system and training for its personnel, as well as infrastructure and maintenance, run into billions of ringgit.
“However, a patient who chooses a government hospital is not made aware of such costs ‘because there is no price tag attached’.
“They only pay a nominal sum for the treatment, while patients at private hospitals are aware of the full cost.”
He agreed with Khairy’s statement that the government should examine each application for reimbursement on a case-by-case basis.
On a proposal for private hospitals to help in the Covid-19 war, Kuljit said private health facilities are already taking in non-Covid-19 patients decanted from public hospitals.
He said up to September, more than 3,000 non-Covid-19 patients in the Greater Klang Valley have been transferred from public to private hospitals and charges are based on a budget provided by the Finance Ministry.
“Therefore, there is no reason to invoke Section 26 of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act.”
Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations secretary-general Datuk Dr Paul Selvaraj said fees charged by private hospitals should be regulated.
He said in times of crises, such as the pandemic, there should be a mechanism to require private hospitals to assist by taking in patients from government facilities.
Consumers Association of Penang president Mohideen Abdul Kader said the government should consider auditing the charges of private hospitals.
“Medical care should not be a commodity to make money,” he said.
