KUALA LUMPUR: The National Heart Institute plans to increase the ratio of patients from the private sector to 45 per cent from 30 per cent currently, said Chief Executive Officer Datuk Dr Mohd Azhari Yakub.
The medical centre for cardiovascular and thoracic care currently provides 70 per cent of its services to government servants and 30 per cent to the private sector.
“In the next three years we are going to increase the number of patients from the private sector to 45 per cent,” he told reporters after a signing of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) ceremony with BP Healthcare Group, here yesterday.
Currently, IJN has about 4,500 private sector patients.
Dr Mohd Azhari said the centre has improved its facilities and was capable of expanding its expertise.
Meanwhile, yesterday, IJN collaborated with BP Healthcare, one of the healthcare providers, to encourage the public to do health screening.
The collaboration will see IJN’s cardiologists being deployed at the BP Specialist Centre for consultation purposes and to refer patients with coronary heart disease to heart specialists at IJN.
The one year MoU will take place on March 4, with the first cardiology clinic to be opened at BP Specialist Centre at Petaling Jaya for the first six months and soon more branches would be added depending on the demand. — Bernama