SOARING healthcare costs are a global phenomenon and is not confined to Malaysia alone.
Speaking to FocusM, former Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye said the spike in healthcare cost is due to the increase in ageing population and non-communicable diseases (NCD).
“Increased cost of treating more diseases due to ageing and NCD contribute to a rise in private medical plans. Hence the trending is positive and for Malaysia, it is projected to be at 14% by Aon,” he said.
Last week, Aon’s 2021 Global Medical Trend Rates Report showed that Malaysia’s healthcare cost is one of the highest in the region due to soaring medical inflation.
“On average, the gross medical inflation for Malaysia was 15.3% in 2018, 16.1% (2019) and 14% this year.
“In terms of demand, with an ageing population, the utilisation of healthcare services has increased in families. Ageing not just leads to higher vulnerability to diseases but also to higher incidences of co-morbidities (more than one disease conditions existing together).
“So in the context of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), this adds to complexity of treatment and consequently, higher hospital bills,” its head of wellbeing solutions (South Asia and Aon Care) Dr Amitabh Deka was reported saying.
To mitigate the problem, the Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society president Amrahi Buang said the Government should come up with a state-owned National Healthcare Financing Scheme to integrate the nation’s healthcare system.
Lee said the Health Ministry had begun the process of introducing enhanced primary care concept in its Klinik Kesihatan (KK), which allows patients to consult a regular doctor or family medicine specialist.
“The KK have done remarkably well in the treatment of NCD and in introducing family medicine concept,” he said.
The Gopeng MP added that while public health services are able to contain rising cost, the latter is still plagued by other problems such as long waiting time to see specialists, obtain tests and surgery.
However, Lee disagreed on Aon’s argument that private specialists were responsible for imposing higher price tags on patients.
“It’s the hospitals, not specialists, which can arbitrarily raise the price of services such as room charges, X-ray and lab test, etc.
“The specialists’ fee is capped under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act,” he said. –Nov 12,2020
