PUTRAJAYA: Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the ministry will investigate allegations that some foreign patients have violated administrative procedures to avoid paying hospital deposits.
The allegations are believed to have stemmed from a Kuala Lumpur Hospital nurse’s viral posts claiming that certain foreign patients were exempt from paying deposits by falsely declaring they did not possess passports using a form known as “Lampiran A” to qualify for treatment.
Responding to the claims, Dzulkefly said the ministry has yet to verify the authenticity of the posts but stressed that the matter would be examined carefully.
“We have not yet verified the authenticity of the report, but it is important for us to investigate the matter thoroughly.
“At the same time, we must respect those who come forward with information, and we also want whistleblowers to be protected,” he told a press conference here on Sunday (March 15).
Dzulkefly explained that under the ministry’s standard operating procedures, all foreign patients must pay a deposit before being admitted to wards in public hospitals.
He said the required deposit is RM1,400 for medical cases and RM2,800 for surgical cases for third-class wards, and the payment must be made before ward admission.
“For foreign patients holding a UNHCR card, they are given a 50% discount on the deposit amount,” he said.
He added that deposit payments are only waived for foreign patients covered under specific insurance schemes such as the Foreign Workers Hospitalisation and Surgical Insurance Scheme (SPIKPA) or refugee medical insurance programmes.
“If a patient does not have insurance or sufficient funds, they will be asked to contact family members or friends to help provide the required deposit.
“That is our SOP and we do not compromise on this,” he said.
Dzulkefly clarified that Lampiran A applies only to critical emergency cases handled in hospital emergency departments.
He said the form allows hospitals to temporarily defer the deposit requirement so that patients in life-threatening conditions can receive immediate treatment.
“Lampiran A only allows for a postponement of payment while resuscitation and stabilisation are carried out.
“It does not exempt patients from payment.
“This is part of our ‘no wrong door policy’, which ensures that emergency cases are treated immediately to stabilise the patient and remove them from immediate danger,” he said.
However, he stressed that once patients are stabilised and admitted to wards, the process of collecting the required deposit will proceed.
“So it is not correct to say that they receive treatment for free or that they are exempt from payment.
“And this practice is applied across all emergency and trauma facilities under the Health Ministry nationwide,” he said.
The issue arose after conversations on social media circulated posts purportedly written by a hospital nurse claiming that some foreign patients had misused administrative procedures to obtain free treatment.
The posts also alleged that some individuals claimed they did not possess passports so that hospitals would process their cases under Lampiran A, which the writer suggested allowed them to avoid paying deposits.
