While public healthcare is generally cheap, the waiting line for it can make a big difference to your condition and comfort. The truth is; there are just too many people for the hospitals to cope.
If you decide to go with private healthcare, the exorbitant prices have pushed many families to go into debt. With the amendment to the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998, medical fees have now been further increased. While this is a good thing for doctors in the profession who haven’t seen an increase in the past 12 years, to the rest of the public it’s a bigger burden few can carry.
Rising medical costs
One woman shared her story to The Star newspaper on how her family had to pay almost RM60,000 in medical expenses for their 87-year-old mother who was hospitalised in a private hospital for 35 days. Their mother was in the Critical Care Unit for a week, was moved to a single-bed room and did not have any surgery, yet the bill was crazily high and the details on the bill were vague. The worse was when she was told they were charged RM85 for any doctor who came to visit their mother even when it was supposed to be a routine check-up. This also included a nutritionist which the woman found unnecessary as her mother didn’t really need one. Even a nurse’s visit would be charged, especially if their mother rang the nurse’s bell after 9.30pm.
And therein lies the problem with many private healthcare institutions. The lack of clarity on how they charge their patients and the high costs for a lot of their services has caused many patients and their families to struggle even more after getting the medical care they need. There are even cases where those in need of treatment opt out instead as they do not wish to burden their families even further with the costs and even debt they may fall into. And this almost always leads to an early death.
With the new increase in place, consumers will be seeing their bills rise even more. Consultation fees at private hospitals are up by 200%, with the usual RM10-RM35 now up to RM30-RM125. A visit to a specialist will now cost anywhere between RM80-RM235, previously it ranged between RM60-RM180. A medical examination now would cost RM45-RM230. If a pregnant woman requires caesarean section, she will be charged RM2,719 now, an increase from RM2,365 before. A lot of these increases range between 14% to up to 33.3%
That’s not the only cost to look out for when it comes to hospitalisation, for while the prices of other medical costs such as medical equipment used and even medication remain the same, they have and remain as expensive as they have always been.
The painful truth
There doesn’t seem to be much respite for those who are in need of or will need medical assistance. Insurance premiums will also be increased for these new medical policies, and some even predict that employers may cut down on medical benefits as well. In the meantime, Health Minister Dr S Subramaniam insists that the medical fee hike is meant to protect the people and that consumers could still dictate the fees in the private medical industry by choosing practitioners with lower charges. Other doctors find the price hike too little, especially since it had been 12 years since the last hike. It would appear that the excuse “we haven’t raised rates in many years” is fair game across any industry now seeking to cash in and further strangle the finances of the average Malaysian.
Despite the many assurances from doctors and other medical practitioners that the price hike is for the best, its heartaches all around for the rest of Malaysia which no medication can cure. As the cost of living continues to soar, it appears that even the cost of staying alive shows little mercy during these tough times.
No comments:
Post a Comment