KUALA LUMPUR – The government should provide a detailed breakdown on how the RM100 million allocation to private hospitals will be utilised.
PKR treasurer-general Lee Chean Chung also called on private hospitals, which have been raking in profits since the pandemic began, to be more socially responsible during these trying times.
Lee was commenting on the recent announcement by the Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM) on its plans to make use of the government’s RM100 million allocation.
"It is announced that the almost-finalised mechanism involves negotiation of treatment and charges between doctors from public and private hospitals on a case-by-case basis.
"It is absurd and ridiculous to make such an ad-hoc arrangement when more than 5,000 confirmed cases have been recorded daily in the past three days," he said in a statement today.
Lee said the public expects all 96 private hospitals represented by the APHM to be of service to the nation in a time of need.
"It is known that many private hospitals are raking in millions in profits, even during the pandemic lockdown period.
"For instance, KPJ Group made RM12.66 million in net profit between March and June 2020.
“After MCO 1.0 was lifted, the net profit more than doubled to RM33.97 million between July to September 2020," he said.
As such, Lee said he was disappointed with Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba and his two deputies for failing to address the issue.
"I urge the minister to come forward and explain to the public details of the RM100 million allocated by the government to private hospitals.
"It is not morally acceptable for the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government to declare an emergency on one hand but, on the other hand, fail to demand private hospitals take on their fair share of social responsibility," he said.
He called on private hospitals to suggest effective means to reduce pressure on the public healthcare system instead of trying to make a profit.
APHM president Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh had recently said the RM100 million allocated for private hospitals was restricted to covering patients referred by public hospitals.
He said the allocation will allow for more non-Covid-19 and Covid-19 patients from public hospitals to be treated at private facilities.
The funding is part of the Perlindungan Ekonomi dan Rakyat Malaysia (Permai) stimulus plan announced early last month. – The Vibes, February 1, 2021
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