Great strides in Malaysia's healthcare system

KUALA LUMPUR: Doctors should be rewarded for promoting good health and keeping people out of hospital, in addition to treating those who are already sick.

A public health expert said any new healthcare model should consider this as preventive care is more cost effective than curative care.

Universiti Malaya deputy vice-chancellor (Research and Innovation) Prof Dr Awang Bulgiba Awang Mahmud noted that under Britain's National Health Service, general practitioners are rewarded for keeping patients out of hospital.

"I hope a Malaysian model will be less likely to reward the use of (health services) but more likely to reward doctors for keeping their patients healthy and out of hospitals."

In Britain, GPs are paid cash incentives to improve healthcare. The "pay-for-performance" scheme is designed to pay work by doctors that previously wasn't funded, such as managing conditions like hypertension as well as monitoring smokers and obese patients.