PUTRAJAYA:
The Health Ministry is seriously considering to introduce a healthcare
insurance scheme which is run and supported by the government to address the
weaknesses in the private healthcare system.
Health
Minister Datuk Seri Dr S.Subramaniam said the government health insurance
scheme would be voluntary and an alternative to the private healthcare system
currently used by over 50 per cent of Malaysians. “There will be no private
player and no profit motive.
The
government health insurance scheme will evolve according to time.
“It is
too early for me to give details such as the structure the scheme and so on. I
am just throwing it as a concept and let the relevant party discuss it,” he
told reporters here, today.
The move
to introduce the government healthcare insurance scheme did not mean that the
government plans to stop the current public healthcare delivery system.
“The
government is still responsible to the public in providing the public
healthcare system that everyone is utilising now. The public healthcare
delivery will still continue and will not change.” Subramaniam said, the
ministry has been studying the government healthcare insurance scheme concept
for the past few months and analysing the challenges involve in implementing
such a scheme.
“Once we
are confident, we will offer it to the public,” he further said.
The
ministry came up with the idea of introducing the government healthcare
insurance scheme as it was aware that one of the challenges for Malaysians was
paying for healthcare services.
“Such a
situation can get people into financial catastrophe. The government healthcare
insurance scheme may just be the answer.” He said Malaysia hosted delegates
from 27 countries who attended the Joint Learning Network Global Meeting which
is initiated by the World Bank.
Themed
‘Building Strong Health Systems to Achieve Universal Health Coverage’ the
meeting held in Putrajaya began Wednesday and ended today.
The
meeting is a platform for countries to share views, opinion, problems and
challenges which they faced in delivering healthcare system.
Bernama
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