No rush for health financing scheme
There is no deadline for the government to implement the national scheme to finance public healthcare and it could take "years" to implement, said Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai.
There is no deadline for the government to implement the national scheme to finance public healthcare and it could take "years" to implement, said Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai.
The scheme, known by several names but dubbed by Liow as the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), was supposed to be implemented last year but little has been heard about it since.
Many fear that the new scheme will drive healthcare cost to the level it is inaccessible to the poor.
Speaking to Malaysiakini at his Kuala Lumpur office on Tuesday, Liow said the scheme was mooted about a decade ago as a means of offsetting soaring medical costs at government-funded hospitals.
However, after studying several proposals, including studies of several models overseas, a satisfactory system had yet to be found, he explained.
"Many reports were received. Recently, a consultant we engaged came back with (the latest) report. We found that (the proposals) were not applicable in Malaysia - we couldn't go ahead with it.
"In fact, I have initiated another local group by asking the director-general (of health) to set up another committee consisting of locals to study (the feasibility of such a scheme)," said Liow.
Feedback wanted
Civil society groups, such as the Citizens Against Health Privatisation (CAHP), have been up in arms over the proposed scheme and claimed that there was little transparency in its formulation.
Opponents also feared that it would lead to a multitude of problems, such as the dilution of quality health services and that the poor would not be able to participate nor benefit from the scheme. 
Last year, it was reported that an Australian consultant Karl Karol had submitted a revised interim report on the scheme to the Malaysian government.
Those privy to the report, such as CAHP secretary Jeyakumar Devaraj, condemned the findings of the report which he claimed was suggesting a profit-driven entity.
Liow, who took over the Health Ministry in March, assured that the government would not set a deadline for the implementation of the scheme in order to garner as much public feedback as possible.
"No, I don't want to have a deadline. I want the discussions to continue and allow the rakyat to have an open debate on it. Everyone can chip in ideas. They can set up forums and talk about it.
"When we (the government) are satisfied, only then would we implement it. In fact, I have directed my officers to attend the forums and talk to the NGOs, people, specialists and doctors. We want their feedback," he said.
Still short of doctors
Liow said that there was not one model in the world in which he was satisfied with and a tailor-made version of the scheme was necessary for Malaysia.
"There are many countries with such schemes that nearly go bust. Those countries cannot afford it," he said.
One such country is Taiwan, which according to Liow, did not cap patients access to the health financing initially.
"They had no limit at first. They can claim (as much as they want) because their patients had a 'buffet' mentality. If they see one doctor, they will see a few more. 
"When (the Taiwanese government) introduced a cap, people start condemning the government," he said.
Another hurdle for the scheme was the fact that Malaysia is short of doctors, said Liow, 46, a trained nutritionist turned full-time politician.
"In Sabah and Sarawak, we still don't have enough doctors. How can we implement an insurance scheme when we don't have enough in the rural areas?" he said.
Eventually, when the scheme is operational, Liow said that the cost for healthcare would be shared between the government and the people.
"When we can come up with the health insurance scheme, it doesn't matter whether it is government or private anymore. By that time, whoever you go to see, it is the same - the insurance scheme is paying," he said.
