| Biro Kesihatan |
| Kenyataan Media Biro Kesihatan Barisan Alternatif Open up the Proposal for the National Health Financing Authority (NHFA) for Public Scrutiny The government has finally come up with a proposal to set up a national financing authority for health care. By its own admission, the BN government has commissioned at least 12 major studies on this matter over more than 15 years. Despite the millions of ringgit of public funds spent, not ONE of these studies has been presented to the public for debate and discussion. Now that there is a concrete proposal, the public should have the opportunity to scrutinize the plans. Health care is a basic need and the NHFA will be the first step toward changing the way we pay for health care. Private health care charges have been spiraling upwards, and government facilities are increasingly overloaded and inconvenient to use. Because of this, the public increasingly needs to buy private health insurance, which has made a lot of inroads recently. But private health insurance is risk-rated, and will be too expensive for older people and people who may be at higher risk of ill health, in fact the very people who need it even more. Therefore there is a necessity for a national health-financing scheme that covers everyone. Since the NHFA will be the cornerstone of a national health-financing scheme, the public needs to know what will be the nature of this body – most importantly, will it be a non-profit, independent body? How will it be constituted? How will its decisions be made? Who is it responsible to, and what is the extent of its powers? We need to scrutinize the legislation that will govern this body. The public will also need to know the details of the national health-financing scheme that is governed by this NHFA. Will it cover everyone regardless of age, gender, occupation, and ethnicity? What and how much will it cover? Will it cover antenatal care for pregnant women and immunization for children? On the other hand, will it also cover heart by-pass operations, dialysis for kidney failure patients, or long-term care for diabetic and HIV/AIDS patients? What will be the national health-financing scheme’s source of funds? Will it be based solely on premiums? How will the premiums be paid? Will the premiums be progressively structured so that the higher income groups pay a higher rate? Given that the primary responsibility for healthcare rests with the State, what proportion of pubic healthcare costs will be borne by the government? The public has a right to study the proposal and give feedback as well. It is in the interest of the nation’s health that the government provides a channel for the people to voice their views. This is particularly important for those who speak in the interests of vulnerable groups – the indigent and the poor, the disabled, the many patient groups. The resulting national health financing scheme should not compromise the health needs of any group, especially those who cannot speak up for themselves. Dr. Wan Azizah Ismail Pengerusi Biro Kesihatan BA Presiden keADILan 8 Mac 2001 |