PETALING JAYA: The Health Ministry will review private hospitals’ charges for room, equipment and medicine, which many have said are excessive.
Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said he would instruct the director-general to set up a committee to conduct a thorough study on the issue of private hospitals’ fees.
He said the ministry had a mechanism to control the charges under the Private Hospital Act and that currently only doctors’ fees were regulated.
Read more at Star Online
If the above measure by the Health Minikstry finally takes place, Malaysian will have something better to look forward to in the near future. Private hospital charges are in fact very expensive in Malaysia but they have better service levels to vouch for. But this better services at the private hospitals is becoming too expensive for average Malaysians, yours truly included.
I am however not very convinced with the following quote from Muslim Consumers Association in the same report:
Muslim Consumers Association project director Noor Nirwandy Mat Noordin lauded the ministry’s plan and said private hospitals should have some social obligations.
I don’t think private hospitals has any sense of social obligations especially when it comes to dollars and cents. Everything is about bottom line and profitability of their shareholders.
I hope the Malaysian Government will have moral courage to make sure the escalating medical cost will be checked and be brought down to a more acceptable level for average Malaysian.
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