Rising medical fees may be monitored like basic necessities, says deputy minister

KUALA LUMPUR: The escalating cost of medical procedures may soon be monitored similarly to essential goods like rice, sugar, and eggs, the Dewan Rakyat was told.

Deputy Health Minister Datuk Lukanisman Awang Sauni said the Health Ministry is exploring ways to address the increasing healthcare costs, which have become a growing concern.

“We will monitor within our powers and investigate the claims about rising medical charges and insurance premiums.

“If the Domestic Trade and Costs of Living Ministry can monitor the prices of rice, sugar, and eggs, perhaps healthcare charges can be monitored under the authority of Bank Negara or the Finance Ministry,” he said in response to a supplementary question from Wong Shu Qi (PH-Kluang) on Thursday (Nov 28).

Lukanisman acknowledged that the public healthcare system cannot cater to all patients and relies on private hospitals to share the burden.

“Private hospitals must assist at a reasonable cost,” he said.

To tackle concerns over high fees at private hospitals, Lukanisman revealed that the ministry is working with the Finance Ministry to implement the Diagnostic Related Group (DRG) fee-charging system nationwide. This system will charge patients based on the category and severity of their diagnosis, rather than itemising individual procedures and medicines.

The DRG system ensures that patients, especially those from the M40 and B40 income groups, receive fair treatment without excessive charges when seeking care in private facilities.

Addressing claims that rising private healthcare fees and insurance premiums could push patients to public hospitals, Lukanisman noted that data from 2019 to 2022 does not show a significant increase in referrals.

“In 2019, we recorded 1,602 patients referred from private hospitals to Health Ministry facilities, compared to 1,604 in 2022. This indicates no substantial rise,” he said, adding that the ministry remains vigilant on the issue.

Several government backbenchers have recently called on the Health Ministry to address the surging costs of health insurance and private healthcare charges.