RAWANG: A new guideline and fee schedule for all private and government doctors, as well as private hospitals, will be announced in March, Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said.
MUTUAL COLLABORATION: Liow (second left) witnesses the exchange of collaboration documents between Al-Riz president and group chief executive director Datuk Dr Rahman Ismail (right) and CISA chairman Silvano Pieroni (left) after the launching of Certified Sterilisation Service Centre at the Rawang Industrial Park. — Bernama photo
He said the guideline and fee schedule, which was last revised in 2004, would benefit about 30,000 doctors.
A complete data and information on the fee schedule are pending finalisation following negotiations between chairman of Medical Research and Ethics Committee Tan Sri Ismail Merican, who is also Health director-general, and doctors and medical specialists, he said.
Liow was speaking to reporters after launching the Certified Sterilisation Service Centre, known as CSSC, at
the Rawang Industrial Park, here yesterday.
He said the new guideline would also reduce patient medical costs, especially visitation and specialist doctor medical fees, as well as rates that can be charged by private hospitals.
“Currently most of the fees are based on the total amount of specialist doctor visits, with most of them focused on orthopaedic services and surgery, which also includes burdensome consultation fees.
“The new fee schedule to be announced in March will make it easier for doctors to fix a suitable payment, which varied among doctors in the past,” he said.
Liow said to reduce the burden of excessive charges by private hospitals, he had obtained an agreement from hospitals to control rates.
He said the agreement was reached following talks involving the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA), medical specialists, medical and dental academies as well as hospital representatives, whereby they decided to set up a special committee in each hospital to control excess charges imposed such as on tissue paper and the preparation of food and beverages. — Bernama
“I held a dialogue with them and explained that the costs of patient’s needs such as tissue, food and drinks cannot be charged extra and must be reasonable,” he said. — Bernama