A group of PKR lawmakers has called for the establishment of a joint task force involving the Health Ministry and Bank Negara Malaysia to investigate whether rising medical insurance premiums are linked to the cost of private healthcare services.
During a press conference at the Parliament media centre on Monday (Dec 9), Sim Sze Tzin (PH-Bayan Baru) said the task force should include experts across the medical, actuarial science, public health policy fields and more to investigate, study and find a resolution.
They also urged independent bodies like the Public Accounts Committee to conduct proceedings and public hearings to investigate the situation.
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During a press conference at the Parliament media centre on Monday (Dec 9), Sim Sze Tzin (PH-Bayan Baru) said the task force should include experts across the medical, actuarial science, public health policy fields and more to investigate, study and find a resolution.
They also urged independent bodies like the Public Accounts Committee to conduct proceedings and public hearings to investigate the situation.
Read more at https://tinyurl.com/4jw95364
WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news
SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar
LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline
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NewsTranscript
00:00We, members of the Parliament, YB Miri, YB Gopeng, Wangsa Maju, and also Senator Amir Ghazali,
00:16are here to hold a press conference on the creation of a private church hospital.
00:23Our title is, the government must find a solution to the private health ecosystem.
00:29For more than two weeks, MPs have been raising the issue of premium insurance.
00:35In the end, our efforts have succeeded in getting a positive response from the Prime Minister and the Bank of Malaysia.
00:43We thank them because they are very concerned about the people's complaints.
00:48We hope their concern will bring positive changes to the people on the issue of premium insurance.
00:56We are also encouraged by the people to investigate the increase in private hospital charges,
01:02which is rampant, and various unprofitable charges.
01:07They argue that the increase in premium insurance is due to the increase in private hospital charges.
01:15This is because the increase in premium insurance is closely related to the increase in private hospital charges
01:22because they are from the same private health ecosystem.
01:26According to a letter from one of the insurance companies that we have received,
01:32the increase in premium insurance due to health inflation has increased by 18% over the past three consecutive years.
01:42This is why we have also received feedback from several medical experts who have decades of experience in private hospitals.
01:53They argue that the increase in private hospital charges is due to
01:591. Unnecessary admissions
02:052. Overdoing procedures
02:083. Redundant MRI, CT scan, PET scan, and screenings
02:134. Escalating compensation award by the courts to medical negligence cases
02:205. Private hospitals chasing profits
02:23Since two weeks ago, we have received 197 complaints from the public.
02:30One of them is related to the high private hospital charges.
02:33We understand that private hospitals are companies that chase profits.
02:37This is a given. This is a private entity.
02:41No matter what, the profits that are rampant have been recorded in the past few years.
02:48The question is, is this related to the increase in premium inflation felt by Malaysians?
02:55We do not know the truth.
02:58We do not have enough data or expertise to understand whether the profits are related to the complaints we have received.
03:09The public has given us a lot of information,
03:13but we still do not have more data.
03:18It is due to the authority that has the data, including the KKM, or the Bank of Malaysia.
03:25They have the data.
03:28So, we want to investigate by the Ministry of Health of Malaysia,
03:33the Bank of Malaysia, which has expertise.
03:36They have to set up a joint task force, which is made up of medical experts,
03:41actuarial scientists,
03:43medical experts,
03:46public health policy experts,
03:48and experts in various fields to investigate and find the winning basis.
03:55Win, win, win.
03:56Between the three parties,
03:58which are private hospitals, insurance companies, and investors.
04:04We want a sustainable ecosystem
04:10for the private healthcare ecosystem.
04:14We also want to invite the Public Accounts Committee, PAC,
04:19from the Malaysian Parliament to hold proceedings and public hearings
04:23to hear and investigate the actual situation.
04:26Our goal is not to find fault with any party,
04:29or to manipulate the profits of the private health sector.
04:34Our goal is to urge the government to find solutions for the private healthcare ecosystem
04:40and private healthcare financing
04:42so that the sector can develop healthily and sustainably.
04:46For the Malaysian people who have an excessive hospital bill or premium increase,
04:52please submit a bill or premium increase notice
04:56and send a complaint to us,
04:58at aduan.pkr.hospital.insurance.gmail.com.
05:04This urge is always on asking these insurance companies to review the price tag.
05:11Do you think that perhaps in the future or the near future,
05:14the Finance Ministry or Bank Negara should investigate
05:18if the insurers are simply asking for more,
05:22simply wanting to earn more to profit more from their insurance?
05:27I think the Bank Negara will look in detail into what they call,
05:36because every time they have a price hike,
05:39they need to get kelulusan daripada Bank Negara.
05:42So we want to understand how they approve it.
05:46So whether Bank Negara will approve or not,
05:52it depends on their presentation to the Bank Negara.
05:55So we want to understand what are the criteria they approve.
05:59Bank Negara will brief us tomorrow, the backbenchers kerajaan.
06:04So we hope to get more information from them tomorrow.