PUTRAJAYA: Outstanding foreign patient treatment bills at government healthcare facilities have declined over the past three years, says Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad amid public concern over the cost of treating foreign nationals, including Rohingya refugees.
Dzulkefly said outstanding treatment bills involving foreign patients stood at RM30.57mil in 2025, compared with RM33.46mil in 2024 and RM34.97min in 2023, reflecting a downward trend despite claims that the government was incurring losses of RM30mil annually.
“The RM30mil figure refers to outstanding treatment bills incurred by foreign nationals, the majority of whom are undocumented migrants,” he said during a press conference here on Monday (June 15).
He said foreign nationals do not receive healthcare subsidies and are charged significantly higher treatment fees than Malaysians.
“For example, the outpatient specialist consultation fee for a foreign patient is RM120, whereas Malaysian citizens pay between RM1 and RM5,” he said.
Addressing concerns over the treatment of undocumented migrants and Rohingya refugees, Dzulkefly stressed that the Health Ministry remained bound by its humanitarian emergency policy, which prioritises saving lives.
“The Health Ministry cannot turn away any individual who arrives in a critical emergency condition or with childbirth complications.
“The safety of lives remains our foremost priority,” he said.
At the same time, he said the ministry had strengthened its debt recovery measures to prevent outstanding bills from burdening public finances.
Among the measures implemented are mandatory deposits before treatment begins, enforcement action against employers who fail to settle medical bills for their foreign workers and closer cooperation with the Immigration Department, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and international non-governmental organisations to help finance treatment costs for those unable to pay.
Dzulkefly said Malaysia’s healthcare system would continue to prioritise citizens while efforts to improve the collection of outstanding payments remain ongoing.
“Our healthcare system will always prioritise Malaysians.
“At the same time, the ministry remains committed to improving its collection mechanisms so that the issue of outstanding bills no longer places a burden on national funds,” he said.
