Find a balance between profit and patient care

ACCORDING to a Health Ministry official, the bed occupancy ratio of about 80 per cent of public hospitals has exceeded 100 per cent and "we are actually on the verge of the end of our capacity".

In addition, two greater challenges are the ageing population and the rising prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Over two million Malaysian adults already live with three or more NCDs including diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol or obesity.

While the latest budget allocation was RM45.27 billion - an increase of 9.8 per cent from 2024 - the official also said that "there is no way" the government can keep expanding the health budget indefinitely.

He suggested a partnership between the government and the private sector. Is this viable?

The priority of private hospitals by their very nature is profits and increasing share value.

Thus, the common rakyat frequently finds private hospital pricing exorbitant and beyond their reach. Even insurance companies are complaining about this.

Worse still, medical premiums are increasing at an exorbitant rate. Furthermore, given the long queues in public hospitals and low insurance intake, Malaysians spend a lot paying for medical expenses from their pockets.

In fact, out-of-pocket expenses in Malaysia are extremely high - 38 per cent of total health expenditure. This puts tremendous pressure on low and middle-income families.

Regulation of private hospital prices and medical insurance premiums is one possibility. However, the Health Ministry and Bank Negara Malaysia appear reluctant to regulate private hospital prices as well as medical insurance premiums, so as not to "interfere" in the market.

So, where does that leave the consumer, especially the poor and vulnerable? We strongly believe that it is time to humanise private healthcare.

Several major hospital corporations are government-linked companies (GLCs). We should begin with those. The GLC hospital business should find a balance between profits and value for patient welfare.

Currently, GLC corporations are driving hard on acquisitions and generating profits and high share value. Healthcare for them is just another commodity to optimise profits. The GLC hospital system needs to be reformed to put patient care first while making "reasonable profits". Then the private-public partnership would be more meaningful and genuine.

The Health Ministry representing the poor and the vulnerable should have more say in the running of private hospitals. In many nations, not only pricing but also costs and salaries are regulated by the government.

While making profits is certainly acceptable in the private sector, the role of government is to ensure that patient welfare is at the centre of healthcare services.

It is clear that a government focused on "data" and "formulas" will probably find this proposal contrary to current market-driven norms and practices. However, the needs and welfare of the rakyat should be emphasised more.