People seen waiting in line for their turn at UMMC in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. — MUHAMAD SHAHRIL ROSLI/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: The higher fees charged by Malaysia’s largest teaching hospital since Jan 1 has continued to be a contentious subject with a Cabinet minister stepping in to voice his stance on the matter.
“I do not agree with the increase, but since the announcement has already been made, I feel it is vital to provide aid, especially to those in need,” said Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil, who is Communications Minister.
Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), which is located in Lembah Pantai, has raised its consultation, admission and service charges by between 167% and 233%, which were last revised in 2019.
Fahmi said he had met with UMMC’s senior management to discuss the fee hike.
“They previously held discussions with me twice, in 2019 and 2021, during which I voiced my stance that any fee increase would be inappropriate.
“This time, they did not consult me beforehand and made the announcement unilaterally. However, I called them for a meeting last Saturday to express my disagreement as an MP regarding the decision to raise costs,” he said, as reported by Bernama.
Nevertheless, Fahmi acknowledged that the hike was unavoidable due to UMMC’s role as a teaching hospital, which differs from government hospitals under the Health Ministry.
Speaking to reporters yesterday after launching the Future Health for All pilot programme, Fahmi said the Lembah Pantai constituency will raise RM5mil this year to assist those in need following the increase in service charges at UMMC.
He said the funds would be channelled into the PPUMCare Fund, benefiting the B40 and M40 groups impacted by the fee hike.
Fahmi said the initiative is necessary as UMMC is a key healthcare provider for residents in the Lembah Pantai constituency.
The funds would be distributed through UMMC’s Social Department, which would assess patients’ eligibility for assistance.
On Jan 3, UMMC outlined in a statement about the higher charges which covered consultation, admission and service fees.
“The price of consultation has increased from RM5 to RM15 for general clinic and RM30 to RM80 for special consultation, RM15 to RM50 for follow-ups with specialists and ward admission from RM120 to RM300 (single adult room),” UMMC said.
It also explained about the rising cost of medical supplies and equipment.
Other new rates included the RM270 for paediatric ward admission, RM500 (emergency ward admission for adults), RM650 (emergency ward admission for children) and RM700 for delivery room admission.
According to the Universiti Malaya 2022 annual report, the medical centre attended to 1,041,003 patients that year, out of which almost 96% of them were outpatients.
