Several experts have come forward to further urge the government to consider setting up a national health insurance scheme, given that it offers quite a fair bit of advantages. This came following the reveal of the Health White Paper recently, which is aimed at reforming the Malaysian healthcare system.

According to Professor Dr Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, a national health insurance scheme will give the people the choice of going to a public or private healthcare provider, thereby relieving the burden on public hospitals and clinics.

“Most of us are not covered by insurance. That’s why we flock to the public healthcare system, and that’s why we have a huge backlog and the healthcare system is collapsing as it cannot sustain this,” Prof Sharifa Ezat said, adding that the healthcare services provided under the national health insurance scheme would be paid through reimbursement packages by the government – which are funded through premiums provided by the population, or are partly subsidised. She also stressed that sin taxes – referring to taxes on items such as alcohol or tobacco – were not the only way to fund escalating healthcare costs.

Aside from highlighting the need for a national health insurance scheme, Prof Sharifa Ezat also applauded several recommendations highlighted in the Health White Paper, particularly those aimed at reforming the financing of Malaysia’s healthcare system. These included the proposal to revise the fees at public healthcare facilities based on a patient’s income bracket, as well as to raise the fees at these facilities from the current RM1 and RM5 to a more reasonable amount.

Meanwhile, Associate Professor Dr Malina Osman from Universiti Putra Malaysia said that she is also supportive of the move to introduce a national health insurance scheme, as well as to revise the fee structure for the healthcare industry. She further noted that specific mechanisms need to be introduced in order to assist those who cannot afford to pay for medical services, such as those from low-income groups.

Public health expert Datuk Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar, on the other hand, acknowledged that some of the issues and recommended strategies presented in the Health White Paper can be quite sensitive given the current political and economic climate in the country. As such, it will take a lot of effort from the government to get the public to come around and understand as well as accept the necessity of it.

That said, Datuk Zainal – who is the former health director of Pahang – stressed that these issues must be raised and tackled if the government wishes to improve the delivery of healthcare services within the country. Some key matters to be addressed via the new system include harmonising the current dichotomy of healthcare delivery between the public and private sectors, as well as developing a system for certain groups (such as the B40 and M40), and a system of fees from social and insurance schemes for the rest of the people, he said.

For context, the Health White Paper was released earlier this week on 13 June 2023. It outlined the challenges and gaps that existed in Malaysia’s current healthcare system, and shared various recommendations on how to reform it over the next 15 years. Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa had also previously said that if the Health White Paper is approved, her ministry will develop a national health insurance scheme, including contribution rates, health benefit packages, and the payment mechanism for healthcare providers.

(Source: The Star)

• TAGS:
• Associate Professor Dr Malina Osman
• Datuk Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar
• Health White Paper
• Healthcare
• Healthcare Industry
• Hospitals
• Professor Dr Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh