FOR many years now, the Medical Practitioners Coalition Association of Malaysia (MPCAM) has urged the Health Ministry to tap into underused resources in private hospitals and clinics.
This was more evident when the ministry spoke about public-private partnerships to tap such resources to reduce congestion at public hospitals and health clinics.
The main problem in executing this was its payment mechanism. Other issues, such as staffing, medication, instruments, devices, professionalism, infrastructure and logistics, were to be provided by the private sector.
Then came the Skim Peduli Sihat, the brainchild of the Selangor government.
Introduced in the second quarter of last year, the scheme allows the Bottom 40 group (B40) to obtain treatment at private clinics with an entitlement of RM500 per family and RM200 per individual. This amount was increased to RM700 and RM350 from Jan 1.
The scheme has been well managed and successful as there have been 205,346 visits to private clinics with claims amounting to RM9,804,652.64.
The turnaround time for payment to doctors for services rendered and medicine given is 11 days, better than any managed care organisations or third-party administrators before this.
This success has been acknowledged by the B40 group and general practitioners (GPs) under the programme. It has made primary healthcare accessible and affordable to the poorest of the poor, with minimal waiting time and continuous treatment and follow-up with the same family doctor.
MPCAM urges the Health Ministry and other state governments to study this programme and implement it in other states as it benefits the poor.
GPs in Selangor welcome this working cooperation between the state government and GPs to alleviate the burden of the poor in the state. Syabas!
Dr Raj Kumar Maharajah,
Putrajaya