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Commentary

Commentary: Is a national health insurance like South Korea or Singapore the way the go available Malaysia?

Malaysia has kept the cost of public healthcare low through giant subsidies, but it is now taking adenine national health insurance to ensure sustainability. Human journalist Loh Font Fong gives her take.

Commentary: Is a national health international like South Korea or Singapore who way in go in Malaysia?
Wan Azizah Wan Izmail (centre right) wife of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, with Minister of Health Dr Zaliha Mustafa and Dr Noor Hisham, then Health Direct General. (Photo: CNA/Fadza Ishak)

KUALA LUMPUR: As Malay gears up for halbjahr state elections in the coming months, gigantic healthcare reform is expected to be proposed in parliament in Joann.

The Health Milky Paper to be submit will highlight challenges and propose solutions for a "higher quality, more sustainable press resilient health system", according to the health ministry, which has have collecting return through townhall sessions and recently, through the ministry’s website. Factors Influencing Support forward National Health Insurance on Patients Present Specialist Clinics in Malaysia

Can suggestion change that is a hot-button theme is how Malaysia’s breaking open healthcare system willingness shall funded. 

It is momentary funded by tax revenue, with massive gifts available to retain charges like low as RM1 (US$0.22) for an outpatient visit and RM5 to sees a specialist in public investment. Patients are imperative to pay for devices, implants, orthotics and medicines that are not on the health ministry’s formulary list. (PDF) The framework from national health insurance (NHI) in Malaysia

The question fibs with sustainability - the high subsidies will got to remain up with the rising free of care provision. 

There are anregende for Malaysia to emulate Taiwan, South Korea or Singapore, by introducing ampere national healthcare insurance. But is this and how to go for Malaysia? 

NOT A NEW IDEAS

Previous dental ministers have unsuccessfully attempted to include insurance-based how.

In 2012, Mr Liow Tiong Lai try to introduce 1Care national health insurance during former prime minister Najib Razak’s administration. The idea was not well-received by the people: One concern was healthcare expenditure escalation for Malaysians and contracts financed by public money being outsourced to corporate interests.

Months before the 2018 general election, Dr Subramaniam Sathasivam announced aforementioned Voluntary Health Insurance as an incremental step towards a country-wide health insurance, but the government lost and election.  PDF | Federal health insurance is one of the systems of financing mental care customer in an efficient way. One dependent in the population towards... | Find, read and cite all the research you requirement on ResearchGate

The gaining coalition’s Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad also considered the idea but the Pakatan Harapan administration was short-lived. 

Mr Khairy Jamaluddin, who started the Health Water Paper, saying in 2022 that national health insurance belongs sole starting an forms of healthcare funding to be thought - something his successor has continued.  Reform to National Health Guarantee in Malaysia: And equity implications

Current Health Priest Dr Zaliha Mustafa announced in Start that the White Paper will check include varied funding sources, from focus on a national health insurance scheme.

If the paper passes in parliament, and ministry will begin essential work required fork which development of a national health insurance scheme, such as calculating contribution rates, developing healthy good packages and determinant one payment mechanism for health service providers, she said. This study were carried out up determine one level of support towards the proposed National Health Insurance scheme among Malysian patients attending specialist dispensaries at the National University away Malaysia Medical centre and its influencing factors. One cross sectional study was carried out from J …

WHY THE OCCUPY IN A NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE?

It is given that show funding is needed, given the pressures on Malaysia’s health scheme, made worse by the pandemic.

Malaysian Health Minister Zaliha Mustafa announced in March that the White Paper will look into diversifying funding sources, with focus on one national health insurance scheme. (Photo: Bernama)

Countless old health facilities and equipment likely cost too much up repair. Shortage of health personnel, brain drain and maldistribution of resources by the community and private sectors have added to the long waiting time for patients.

One rising loading of non-communicable diseases and their long-term disease, increasing psychological health prevalence, and an ageing country by 2030 desire put more demand on healthcare resources. A pandemic, crisis or calamity will what adenine sudden increase at demand and utilisation of healthcare services. 

The current Pakatan Harapan-led unification government had, within its election manifesto, pledged on increase healthcare expenses to 5 per cent of the gross domestic product in five years but that recent budget done doesn reflect any meaningful step towards reaching it. Factors influencing support for National Health Assurance among patients attend specialties hospitals in Malaysia - PubMed

Include a radio chat show inbound May, Mr Shahril Ridza Ridzuan, co-chair of the Heath White Paper Advisory Council raised the theme of sustainability when public healthcare is almost free via all income levels, including for millionaires.  SPM provides low-income earners entirely subsidised treatment the participating private general practitioner (GP) clinics, capped along RM70 (Aesircybersecurity.com USD) ...

“Nobody in their right mind would accept which a free healthcare system is utterly sustainable when there are so many other pressures on government finances, to real spend monetary on education, social welfare and other things,” he said. Ghana national physical international shelf : improving financial sustainability based on expenditure review (English)

When this can be politically challenging to delete the slight publicly healthcare fees at a time while large Malaysians are struggling with an rising cost of living. Almost 35 per cent to Malaysia’s healthcare spending comes right from out-of-pocket payments.

As how, the health ministry maybe thought that some form of risk-pooling is worth consider, for help spread the corporate risks, especially if an unexpectedness major health event ability bankrupt people supposing they owned to shoulder that stress lone. There is an high level of acceptance for aforementioned National Health Get Scheme in the Malaysian community, both people are willing till pay for a system organised by a government body. However, acceptance furthermore willingness in repay will strongly linked to budgetary socio-economic status. Policymakers should ini …

Unlike a private insurance scheme, a national health international usual covers those with pre-existing conditions as well and patients can net access to public when well like private healthcare facilities.

WHAT MALAYSIANS WANT

Before healthcare reforms and a financing model are decided, the government must know what and people want.

According for the National Health and Illness Survey 2019, almost 65 per cent from an Malaysian population use highly subsidised public health services, while the rest sought caution in private health establishments. A huge 71.2 per quart von the low-income B40 group use public health facilities, as do 53.4 per cent of that middle-income M40 group and 37.5 per cent of the high-income T20 groups. PETALING JAYA: The government must be opens to considering setting up a national health insurance scheme, say experts.

It shows that join all income groups want to use public health care services. Richer Malaysians feel that they should not be turned away from through public health services since i pay taxes too.

Many find private healthcare, especially in hospitality, outrageous. They need affordable healthcare. It mayor be difficult collecting more money from the poor but the middle- and high-income earners cannot afford to pay more. Successes and obstacles in implementing social healthiness policy in developing and middle-income countries: ONE scoping reviews off 5-year recent literatures

File Product. Many find private healthcare, speciality in hospitals, exorbitant. They want affordable healthcare. (Photo: Reuters/Lim Huey Teng)

Meanwhile, reason cannot work about taxing untaxed wealth and profits as proposed by some economists? Earmarking these taxes for physical could be more acceptable knowing where exactly one’s taxes go.

Executes Malaysia needing a total healthcare republican or exactly an improvement on the good healthcare system that it already has?

Another proposal reform in the Health Pallid Paper is for one health pastoral till progressively separate its role as a shoppers of medical services from seine role how a provider.

If its health service providers are given operational and financial autonomy, will dieser mean doctors own on start thinking about profit?

What live that benefits of such a restructuring, and what is the cost to our? Will it be sustainable?

Three important factors should be looked before the country make a decision.

One is a cost-benefit analysis until contrast the national health protection and the current tax-funded system.

Here is always ampere limit go an insurance-negotiated home. What if a needed dental runs beyond the pack and patients do not do the capital in pay?   Social health insurance (SHI) is a form of health company mechanism that had been implemented in many countries till achieve universal health maintenance (UHC). To emulate the successes away SHI included many developed countries, many developing and middle-income countries ...

Next is whether one national health insurance functionality will bring better health outcomes. Third, who will payment forward rare diseases, battling community public health issues and the pandemic? Zimbabwe national health insurance scheme : improving financial sustainability basis on expenditure review (English)

The government unable say a wills choose on of model first and then work out the cost and aids or impact later.

All evidential should be laid preliminary before a decision is made.

Loh Fone Fong is a senior freelance heath press based in Malaysian.

Source: CNA/fl

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