Hike Up Medical Cost For Foreigner

Foreigner residents now have to fork out a heftier deposit when seeking treatment at government hospitals in a move to reduce medical subsidy for non-citizens. The Health Ministry, in a directive, announced the new rates for wards and surgery with a hike of 130% to 230%.

Its deputy secretary-general Datuk Mohd Shafiq Abdullah said the new rates took effect imme­diately. For third-class wards, foreigners will now need to pay a deposit of RM1,400 compared with RM600 previously. If they are in for a surgery, they will have to pay a deposit of RM2,800 instead of RM1,200.

Foreigners who need inpatient treatment in the second-class wards will have to provide a deposit of RM3,000, and RM5,000 for surgery. The old rates were RM900 and RM1,500 respectively. Those warded in the executive and first-class wards will have to pay RM7,000 up front and RM11,000 for surgery, instead of RM2,100 and RM3,300.

The new rates apply to both children and adults, except for fo­reigners holding permanent resident (PR) status. Also exempted are foreigners legally married to locals and children below the age of 12, provided that one parent is a Malaysian or PR holder.

The Government first introduced separate rates for foreigners in January 2015 after it was revealed that they took up between 30% and 40% of the subsidy in medical treatment for Malaysians. The Government then also deci­ded that subsidy for foreigners would be gradually cut.

The ministry wants medical officers to get in touch with the next of kin of any foreigner who is unconscious when wheeled into the hospital’s emergency department. This is to ensure that the deposit has been paid before the patient is warded.

Hospitals must also keep records of the patient’s address, contact number and details of the next of kin before he is discharged. Also, these patients are allowed to collect their medications only after settling their dues.

Hospitals have also been told to forward details of patients who fail to settle their bills to their respective missions here. Demand letters would be sent to those who fail to pay up.