New health funding options being studied, says Khairy

KUALA LUMPUR: The existing public healthcare funding model is no longer sustainable and it has added pressure to the country’s financial burdens, says Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.

"Therefore, the government is studying several health funding options which are time-proof to strengthen the whole healthcare system, so that equitable, high quality, easily accessible and sustainable health services can be provided in the long term," he said in a written parliamentary reply dated July 19.

Khairy said this would be included in the Health White Paper which will be tabled at the end of this year.

Citing the Health Ministry’s Malaysia National Health Accounts which was released last year, Khairy said the government had forked out RM36.6bil in 2020 compared with RM12.6bil in 2006 for healthcare expenditure of the people.

"This is a 190% jump in 14 years. Meanwhile, the government's revenue collection from patients only accounts for around 1% of the total expenditure," he said.

He attributed the low revenue collection to the RM1 or RM5 outpatient fee imposed to citizens at government health facilities.

"The government guarantees that the 'whole-of-government’ and 'whole-of-society' approach will be used in any healthcare funding system implemented to ensure that the people’s interest is taken care of," he said.

The written reply was in response to Datuk Shabudin Yahaya (Bersatu-Tasek Gelugor) on whether the government was prepared to implement a social health insurance scheme to reduce dependence on free healthcare.

Shabudin had asked what was the best measure to give the best healthcare service to people at a minimum cost.

The Health White Paper is expected to be tabled in the next Parliament meeting in October.