Materia Medica Malaysiana

RM724,000 'medical benefit' for foreigners in S'kan

Sandakan: The Duchess of Kent Hospital here is saddled with outstanding unpaid bills of RM724,000 owed by foreigners seeking treatment, as accumulated up to 2004.
In contrast, the hospital generated revenue of RM500,000 from other sources during the same period.
Disclosing this here, hospital director Dr Zorina Khalid said despite the fact that the foreigners could ill afford to pay for the high costs of treatment, particularly child births costing RM300, the hospital had no choice but to render them assistance based on humanitarian grounds.
She was still hopeful the hospital could get additional allocations from the Government to provide the necessary facilities, including extra beds.
On another note, she was also optimistic that the six-storey ward project under the 7th Malaysia Plan, implemented in September, 2001, could speed up, after having been postponed twice.
The second outpatient clinic, scheduled for completion in 2004, was still in the process of construction, she said.
Even the construction of eight units staff quarters was still in progress, thereby forcing the personnel to rent houses for the time being.
Dr Zorina also said the hospital was still waiting for the RM2.4 million CT Scanner that had been approved by the Health Ministry.
She was hopeful that these facilities could be serious considered for earlier delivery.