LARUT, April 16 — The amount of unpaid bills of foreigners who received services in all government hospitals across the country from 2012 to last year stands at RM50.5 million.
Deputy Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahya said efforts were being made to track down the foreigners, including finding out their local addresses and employers, as well as seeking help from foreign embassies in Malaysia.
He said most of the foreigners who entered the country legally did not face the problem of settling their bills because they had insurance coverage.
“The ones giving the problem are those who came illegally and do not even have valid residential address,” he told reporters after a working visit to the Redang Panjang Health Clinic, and presenting certificates of appointment to the advisory health panel for districts of Larut Matang and Selama in Batu Kurau, near here, today.
He was commenting on a newspaper report yesterday which said foreign nationals from 38 countries owed the Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) RM7.87 million in medical bills over the past few years.
The report said that last year alone, the foreigners had racked up RM3 million in arrears at HKL.
Hilmi, who is also Balik Pulau MP, said this also proved that the government was very accommodative and concerned of foreigners who came to the hospital for treatment, especially during emergency cases.
“When they have recovered their health, they run away from the hospital without paying the bills,” he said.
Meanwhile, Hilmi said the ministry planned to add rooms and haemodialysis machines at the Selama Hospital with an allocation of RM350,000 to help 26 patients still waiting treatment, including at the Taiping Hospital.
“The existing room which has been operating since 1991 is small and has seven machines,” he said. — Bernama
