KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry has refuted claims that the National Heart Institute (IJN) was discharging all civil servants and pensioners to cardiac centres operated by the ministry due to the government's cost-cutting measures.
In a statement today, the ministry admitted that prudent cost control measures were essential due to the increase in expenses annually following the referrals of patients to IJN.
The ministry however stressed that patients were only discharged from IJN when their conditions were stable with a monitoring period of at least six months to a year for adults; and one to two years for children.
"These stable patients then return to (government-run) hospitals for ongoing care under cardiology and cardiothoracic departments," the statement said.
At present, the ministry said, there were 10 hospitals under the ministry offering cardiology services and seven providing cardiothoracic services in the country.
The ministry added that together with these hospitals, IJN served as a referral centre for patients requiring cardiology and cardiothoracic services, including civil servants, pensioners and their dependents, with the government covering treatment costs.
Contrary to the implications made by a letter published in a health news portal, the ministry said its hospitals were well-equipped as well as staffed with qualified physicians and surgeons, offering services that are "comparable" to that of IJN.
The strategy of referring complicated and critical cases to IJN, it said, is aimed at optimising resource utilisation and ensuring the access of the general public to the ministry's hospital services.
"Therefore, sharing patient loads with IJN should not be mistaken as any form of incapacity in the part of hospitals operated by the ministry.
"This strategic approach allows some 4,000 new patients to be referred to IJN annually, maximising cost-effectiveness.
"It is also worth highlighting that the costs associated with patient referrals to IJN are covered by the federal funding provided by the Finance Ministry.
"While the expenses for these referrals are increasing annually, prudent cost control measures are essential to treat as many patients as possible with existing resources, ensuring fairness to taxpayers."
Through the implementation of such a policy, the ministry said it hoped to strike the right balance between caring for public servants and providing necessary medical services to the wider population, adhering to the best international standards for cardiology and cardiothoracic services.
In the letter published by the health news portal, an unnamed government pensioner claimed he was discharged after receiving extensive care at IJN.
The pensioner, whose name was not disclosed for certain reasons, said he had been told by IJN doctors that the ministry had issued a directive that all civil servants and pensioners should be discharged to the cardiac centre nearest to their homes.
The senior only shared his situation after waiting more than two months for an appointment, only to be told by the cardiac centre that it lacked the expertise to manage his case and had a restricted supply of medications.