Poor will not be affected, says Health Ministry DG

Ismail Merican (pic right), the Health Ministry's Director General, has responded to P Ramakrishnan's statement, which criticised the move to allow government specialists to provide "private treatment" after working hours. Ismail argues that the poor will not be affected by the move.

The Coalition will be rebutting his remarks in the next couple of days.

For now, here is Ismail's response, published as a letter in the NST today. See whether you agree with it or if it makes sense:

Provision of patient care not affected

By DATUK DR MOHD ISMAIL MERICAN Director-General of Health

IN response to the concerns raised by P. Ramakrishnan of Aliran ("Extra hours not the best solution"; NST, Jan 17), I must point out that the inference that the Government will extend the working hours of specialists — requiring them to provide "private treatment" after working hours — is erroneous. What the Health Ministry intends to do is to carry out the strategy that the Prime Minister, who is also Finance Minister, announced during the 2005 Budget pertaining to private practice in ministry hospitals.

The ministry, after much deliberation, decided to implement the full-paying patient scheme to support this decision by the Government as we realise that a significant number of well-to-do patients seek treatment from ministry specialists but are unable to pay for the services simply because there is no mechanism for them to do so.

Most of them are willing to pay for services obtained.

The full-paying patient scheme is one way of addressing this inadequacy. In addition, it will help provide better incentives and remuneration for our specialists and encourage them to continue working in government hospitals.

The full-paying patient service will provide patients the option of being treated by specialists of their own choice in an executive/ first-class facility and be charged accordingly.

To check abuse and ensure professionalism and accountability, access by all patients (full-paying or otherwise) to diagnostic and treatment facilities, after admission, will be governed by clinical considerations and not affordability. The full-paying patients will be attended to during normal hospital operational hours as other patients or extended hours if needed, as decided by the hospitals.

This scheme will relieve the Government’s share of the healthcare budget by letting patients who can afford to pay their hospital bills to do so.

At present, the Government is subsidising 98 per cent of health services provided by the ministry. In no way will this new scheme jeopardise the provision of patient care for non-full-paying patients.

The scheme will be implemented as a pilot project in Putrajaya and Selayang hospitals this year. After one year, the scheme will be evaluated before being considered for implementation in other government hospitals.

I wish to emphasise that poor patients will continue to enjoy the same privileges and be treated by our best healthcare providers.