IMPROVEMENTS to the Madani Medical Scheme (SPM) are welcome but early engagements with stakeholders during the planning stage should have been done, said the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA).
According to MMA president Dr Azizan Abdul Aziz, this is for smooth implementation of any future public private partnerships.
She said on Sept 15, ProtectHealth had notified general practitioners (GPs) participating in the scheme that the consultation fee had been raised from RM30 to RM35, along with the limit for combined consultation and medicines per visit from RM60 to RM70.
Dr Azizan added that ProtectHealth also added 20 drugs to the medication list, and the scheme was extended nationwide from Sept 15.
“The MMA had been in discussions with the Health Ministry and ProtectHealth to increase the limit in consultation fees to RM50,” she said in a statement on Monday (Sept 25).
“Although it is not the increase we had hoped for, we welcome this increase as a positive development. With SPM now expanded nationwide, we call on more private GPs to support the programme.”
Dr Azizan further expressed hopes that the government will also allow co-payments for certain cases as currently (with the capped amount of RM70 for consultation and medicines per visit) the scheme does not allow patients who are willing to pay more out-of-pocket for certain illnesses that may not require a hospital referral.
“We also hope that sufficient, early engagements with key stakeholders will take place on any future public private collaborations from the planning stages to avoid any issues at the implementation stage,” she remarked.
“Early engagements must be emphasised so that all parties understand the processes involved.
“As we have learned many times over in the past, a top-down approach without taking the time to understand the private sector will only create issues and is counter-productive.” – Sept 25, 2023
Main pic credit: CodeBlue
