SEREMBAN, Sept 7 — The Ministry of Health (MOH) through the Negri Sembilan Health Department (JKNS) has spent RM593,474 to bear the cost of outsourcing non-Covid-19 patients to private hospitals in the state since last May.
State Health, Consumerism and Environment Committee chairman S. Veerapan said throughout that period, a total of 379 non- Covid-19 cases had been outsourced to private hospitals in the state.
“It is implemented in accordance with MOH’s guideline for the outsourcing of non-Covid-19 patients to private hospitals,” he told the state legislative assembly sitting today.
The Repah assemblyman was responding to a question from Mary Josephine Prittam Singh (PH-Rahang) who wanted to know whether the cost of outsourcing non-Covid-19 patients’ treatment to private hospitals was borne by the state government or the federal government.
Veerapan said among the criteria set for outsourcing of non-Covid-19 patients to private hospitals were the patients must be a Malaysian citizen and they need a referral from specialists at government hospitals.
Other criteria were patients of emergency or semi-emergency cases or elective cases with long waiting time must be in a stable condition before they are allowed to be transferred to private hospitals.
Private hospitals selected to perform procedures and treatments must be licensed under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998 (Act 586), as well as equipped with healthcare facilities and services that have been licensed.
Meanwhile, Veerapan said the proposal to turn the Tuanku Ja’afar Hospital (HTJ) in Seremban into a full Covid-19 hospital could not be materialised.
“There are many complex and risky treatment procedures that cannot be implemented in district hospitals and other private hospitals, therefore HTJ will continue to operate as a Covid-19 hybrid hospital,” he said. — Bernama
