Its president, Dr Wong Teck Wee, told FMT he was particularly concerned for those in the M40 income group who were grappling with healthcare costs for serious illnesses.
Deputy Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Bakri told the Dewan Rakyat recently that there was no plan to introduce a national health insurance programme to provide coverage to all Malaysians.
Wong said the present mySalam scheme was not good enough as many Malaysians still could not afford healthcare at private institutions. Some might need treatment at private facilities because public health institutions were often overcrowded, he said.
“If everyone in a M40 family is healthy, then there is no problem,” he said. “But let’s say someone is sick. It will be a heavy burden to the main income earner.”
He said a national health insurance programme would help those from this income category with their healthcare bills, especially for serious operations or chronic conditions.
Under the mySalam scheme, those eligible would be able to claim RM8,000 for critical illnesses. They are also entitled to RM50 per day for a maximum of 14 days of hospitalisation a year.
Wong said there were currently long waiting lists for critical operations in government hospitals. He claimed to have carried out a survey that had shown that those needing operations for serious accidents such as bone fractures would have to wait for up to six weeks at certain hospitals.
“This type of service has not changed for the last 20 years,” he said, attributing it to the shortage of resources and funding for the public health sector.
He also said the waiting period for heart bypass surgeries in certain government hospitals could be anywhere between six months and a year.
“A patient may die while waiting for his operation,” he said. “Without a national health insurance, people from the B40 and M40 will continue to suffer.
“What the scheme can do is allow people to go to private hospitals. The resources and facilities in the private sector are more than enough and are underutilised.”
He said funding could come from employers, employees and the government.
“Those who are unemployed or from the B40, their contribution can be zero. For those in T20, their contribution to the fund can be 100%.
“The employer must also contribute something,” he said.