PUTRAJAYA: Sustainability is expected to be a serious issue for the Health Ministry due to rising costs of medicines and treatment.
Its minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said this today, citing that the government spent almost RM25 billion last year for public healthcare, but only collected RM600 million from the minimal charges while maintaining quality of services rendered.
"This means the government subsidises some 95 per cent of the total cost of medicines and treatment," he told reporters after attending the ground-breaking ceremony of the Endocrine Complex of the Putrajaya Hospital today.
In addressing this, Dr Subramaniam said the ministry was in the midst of finding a plausible mechanism to achieve sustainability.
"Public and private partnership to share resources and facilities, is one of the ways we have taken to reduce the financial burden on the government. But this is a long term plan, although we have started this partnership on a small scale for now," he said but declined to elaborate on the mechanism.
The complex which is part of the Putrajaya Hospital is being built at the cost of RM365 million and expected to be completed in January 2020.
It is also being build for multidisciplinary approach and management in the field of endocrinology and will serve as research centre.
Endocrine disease occurs when a gland produces too much or too little of an endocrine hormone, called a hormone imbalance.
It also due to the development nodules or tumors in the endocrine system.
Dr Subramaniam said there were currently 3.5 million people in the country who are diabetic and are at risk of endocrine disorder.
The second most common condition which leads endocrine disease is thyroid disease, affecting one to two per cent of the total population.
Meanwhile on the issue of Penang-based urologist Datuk Dr Azhar Amir Hamzah who was disqualified from practising in Australia after he was found to have doctored patients’ records in order to falsify his overtime claims, Dr Subramaniam said Dr Azhar may face disciplinary action if found guilty.
The doctor was on fellowship attachment in Perth between 2015-2016.
"The Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) will investigate the case if there is a complaint. As a person who is registered under the council, he will be subjected to the ethical principles of MMC.
"Whatever action we take on a person who has breached ethical principles in Malaysian soil, same rules applies wherever he is, if he is registered under MMC," he added.