CAHP seeks meeting with PM over proposed national health financing scheme

Sun2Surf: PUTRAJAYA: The Coalition Against Health Care Privatisation (CAHP) is seeking a meeting with the Prime Minister's Department on the proposed National Health Financing Scheme and related matters.
Unhappy over the outcome of its dialogue with Health Ministry director-general Datuk Dr Ismail Merican on March 14, 2006, coalition chairman Dr Subramaniam Pillay said there were still some unresolved issues after the one-and-a-half-hour meeting.
"We have got a clearer picture about the full-paying patients issue but we also want to know about the consultant said to have been appointed for the proposed scheme and the higher charge for foreign workers.
"He said those are policy matters or not under the ministry's purview and the scheme is being finalised by the Economic Planning Unit (EPU). So, it is better for us to seek explanation from the PM's Department," Subramaniam said.
However, he said CAHP was still not satisfied with the full- paying patients proposal, likening it to private tuition and describing it as a double-charge for taxpayers.
"Doctors will still have an incentive to treat full-paying patients better or quicker than others because they (patients) are going to contribute to their (doctors') own extra income.
"Instead of doing this, the government should set up a service commission to reform the whole system and spend more money to pay them more, not only the specialists, but all health care workers," he said.
Speaking to reporters later, Ismail said he had explained at length about the "full-paying patients" pilot project, slated to begin in the Selayang and Putrajaya hospitals in June, which is part of the proposed scheme.
"It will be just a mechanism for patients who can afford to pay for health care services. This is because the argument that every patient who can afford it goes to private hospital, is no longer true."
He said those who can afford to pay for health care still go to public hospitals because of three main reasons, namely for the specialist treatment, the reasonable price and the professional conduct.