Still divided over 1Care plan

Star: PETALING JAYA: Amid public uproar over the 1Care for 1Malaysia healthcare transformation plan, industry stakeholders remain divided over its status.
Despite the Health Ministry’s reassurances that the programme is only at the planning stage, some feel that it is well on its way to being implemented.
Academy of Medicine Malaysia head Dr Chang Keng Wee claimed that the “planning cart has already left” and the “direction has already been set”.
“The 11 Technical Working Groups (TWG) were set up to determine how best to implement the plan and not to plan what we should do,” said Dr Chang, adding that the academy was represented in one of the TWG.
In a statement on Tuesday, Dr Chang had questioned the need for a major transformation of the Malay­sian healthcare system to meet the Health Ministry’s objectives of meeting patients’ needs and overcoming limited and mismatched healthcare resources.
“What is the logic behind public-private integration?” Dr Chang asked.
“Private hospitals are for profit entities run by private corporations. Should public funds be used to finance such institutions?” he added.
However, Malaysian Pharma­ceutical Society president Datuk Nancy Ho disagreed that the plan was ready to be implemented.
“Our impression is that the model of the transformation is being finalised and nothing has been cast in stone,” she said.
“We are confident that the ministry will take note of all the opinions and feedback that are being expressed and come up with the most workable formula,” she added.
Association of Private Hospitals president Datuk Dr Jacob Thomas said he was unsure of the progress of the plan as the association had yet to be in active discussion with the ministry.
The 1Care for 1Malaysia plan has come under fire after citizen and medical professional groups posted purported details of the plan online.
The ministry has since quashed the claims and maintained that the details have yet to be finalised.