Materia Medica Malaysiana

Chua: Private hospitals fear potential competition

KUALA BERANG: Private hospitals fear the competition that may arise from the proposed setting up of private wings in government hospitals, said Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek.

He said some people were worried the move would affect the quality of service in government hospitals.

“We have to strike a balance between the profit-oriented private sector and the Government’s responsibility of providing services at minimal rates.

“These matters would be looked into by the special Health Ministry committee studying the proposal,” he said, after visiting the Hulu Terengganu Hospital here yesterday.

He said the private sector “will always come out with lots of reasons.”

He declined to elaborate.

He had said on Thursday that his ministry was looking into the feasibility of setting up private wings in government hospitals to halt the brain drain of specialists and doctors.

He said a special committee headed by his deputy Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad had been formed to look into all aspects of the proposal such as legislation, human resources and fees.

Dr Chua also said no cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) had been reported in the country following the latest outbreak in China last month.

If there were any cases, the ministry would inform the public, he said.

Dr Chua urged the media not to play up the issue.

He was responding to a report in a Malay daily yesterday that said a 61-year-old man who had returned from China recently was being treated in a special SARS ward at Hospital Sultanah Aminah in Johor Baru.