PETALING JAYA: The Health Ministry should scrap plans to change the entire healthcare system under the 1Care for 1Malaysia plan, said medical experts and concerned citizen groups.

Also, it is better for Malaysia to improve the current healthcare system instead of shaping the 1Care for 1Malaysia plan after foreign models.

Federation of Private Medical Practitioners Associations Malaysia president Dr Steven Chow said the Malaysian healthcare system had achieved remarkable results despite our relatively low healthcare expenditure.

“Why do we want to totally transform a system that is already working relatively well, with something entirely new that might not suit us at all?” Dr Chow asked at a press briefing recently.

Citing data from international organisations, Dr Chow said that Malaysia’s healthcare system was comparable to countries like the US, Britain and Singapore even though our healthcare spending was lower in GDP terms.

He said the country would only need to address some of the shortcomings of the current system to improve it, such as problem of wastage and under-productivity in the public sector.

Dr T. Jayabalan, the main coordinator of the Citizens’ Healthcare Coalition, said the ministry should talk to local experts, instead of foreign ones, on the best way to improve healthcare.

Voices of dissent against the proposed 1Care for 1Malaysia healthcare reforms have been mounting since members of the Citizens Healthcare Coalition posted “supposed details” of the plan.

These details include the claim that households will have to fork out 10% of their monthly income to fund a Social Health Insu- rance that will be used to finance the new system.

Although the Health Ministry had earlier clarified that the plan was still in its conceptual stage, some parties have claimed that parts of the plan are already being imple-mented.

By Yow Hong Chieh
February 04, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 4 — Putrajaya’s controversial 1 Care scheme, which critics claim will tax citizens and businesses monthly to foot the country’s growing healthcare bill, has already entered its “final stages”, Health Ministry officials told a pharmaceutical seminar last month.

This is despite the ministry’s repeated denials and assurance to the public that it is “too early” to sound warning bells about the scheme, believed to be in phase three of a five-phase implementation plan.

The Malaysian Insider understands that ministry officials had told the Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society (MPS) during a seminar on January 15 that it was already finalising 1 Care proposals and that a Pharmacy Act would be tabled at the next Parliament sitting in March to facilitate the transition to the new insurance scheme.

“The 1 Care transformation proposals are now in the final stages,” the ministry’s health policy and planning deputy director Dr Nordin Saleh had told MPS, according to the minutes of the seminar obtained by this news portal.

The Malaysian Insider understands that Health Ministry pharmacy board deputy director Azman Yahya had also explained that the new Pharmacy Act would see the government outsourcing the dispensing of prescription drugs to pharmacies.

Doctors, on the other hand, would only prescribe drugs identified in a standard list, which will be covered by 1 Care’s National Health Financing Scheme (NHFS), while patients will have to pay “out of pocket” for medicines not included in the list.

A drug pricing system may also be introduced once the standard list has been compiled and pharmacies will be reimbursed for all prescriptions, which will comprise mainly generic drugs whenever possible.

The proposed 1 Care scheme, which is fast turning into a political hot potato, is expected to replace the current two-tier healthcare system and force citizens and businesses to contributed nearly 10 per cent of their monthly earnings to a government-run insurance fund.

Under the current system, patients can choose to seek treatment at either private clinics or hospitals and pay out of their own pockets or opt for government clinics or hospitals instead, where they will pay a nominal fee for basic, federally subsidised healthcare.

Already, public outrage is fast growing over the prospect of additional taxes under Putrajaya’s bid to restructure Malaysia’s healthcare system, despite talk that the new scheme would ensure more equitable healthcare for Malaysians of all classes.

Leading the charge is the Citizens’ Healthcare Coalition (CHC), a group comprising medical practitioners and consumer associations that has taken its cause online.

The pact, which started off with some 17 associations, kicked off its “Tak Nak 1 Care” campaign last December using social media tools like Facebook, Twitter, blogs and YouTube to spread information about the scheme and gain wider public support.

The Health Ministry, however, yesterday assured critics that the 1 Care scheme will not burden the public with undue costs.

Its director-general, Datuk Seri Dr Hasan Abdul Rahman, said discussions on the types of financial arrangements that will be made available and their implication to the government as well as taxpayers were ongoing to ensure an acceptable healthcare financing model.

“Any assumption or conjecture on the mode of financial impact for the individual taxpayer is very premature at this stage as discussions are being held at the moment to ensure a positive and workable model,” he had said in a statement.

Dr Hasan added that the ministry was taking proactive steps to ensure that Malaysians would not be burdened by healthcare costs, even as they continued to spiral upwards.

PETALING JAYA: The Health Ministry yesterday sought to engage various quarters which have slung criticisms against 1Care for 1Malaysia, the national healthcare insurance scheme proposed by the ministry.

In a statement last night, Health Director-General Datuk Seri Hasan Abdul Rahman urged critics to engage the ministry through “face-to-face” briefings over the proposed programme.

” The ministry hopes that these groups will seek to understand Malaysia’s current healthcare transformation process for better health for all citizens,” he said, adding that the programme is still in its infancy.

“The programme is still at a drafting stage and it will be some time before the plan can be implemented.”

The 1Care programme, which was proposed by the ministry as early as 2009, is aimed at providing quality healthcare for all citizens regardless of financial ability, and to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor in terms of access to healthcare services.

It has come under fire from various groups, especially the “Tak Nak 1Care” (Don’t Want 1Care) Facebook group. Group administrators , who are anonymous, claim that the programme will deduct 10% from an individual’s monthly salary, and limit the number of visits allowed to a doctor to just six a year.

To do so, a national social health insurance will be set up, under a not-for-profit body within the ministry called the National Healthcare Financing Authority (NHFA).

“What the ministry wants is for all Malaysians to have more choices for healthcare, and to not worry about payment as the cost is paid by a central government agency (the NHRA) that pools contributions from the government, employers, employees and the self-employed,” Hasan said.

However, the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) yesterday said the uncertainty surrounding the scheme has led to a lot of resistance and wariness towards it.

MMA president Dr Mary Suma Cardosa said that based on meetings with the ministry on 1Care, the plan is for the ministry to focus on legislation, governance, stewardship and public health, training and research, while health services will be provided through an autonomous healthcare delivery system (the NHFA).

The funding will come from a social health insurance together with a government contribution.

However, there has yet to be confirmed details of how much contribution is to be made, either by the government or the individuals.

Cardosa said that the most contentious aspect of the programme is the proposal to have social health insurance. “The biggest question is, how will this publicly pooled fund be managed, especially since it will run into billions of ringgit?”

She urged that a body consisting all stakeholders be set up to manage the fund and ensure transparency and openness.

A senior doctor, who declined to be named, however said the ministry should look into making itself more efficient before setting out to create a new healthcare system.

“As the single largest healthcare provider in the country, with over 100 hospitals and 14,000 clinics, the ministry should manage its services more efficiently and utilize the funds better.” he said.

Existing tunnel near Kelana Idaman

Source: theSun

PETALING JAYA (Jan 31, 2012) : A new bypass and tunnel will be built to ease the traffic congestion near Ara Damansara and Taman Kelana Idaman in Kelana Jaya.

Petaling Jaya Mayor Datuk Mohamad Roslan Sakiman said the project was to divert the traffic flow away from Jalan PJU 1a/4f leading to Taman Kelana Idaman.

Roslan said the RM21 million project, headed by the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ), was to make sure road users do not end up clogging the tunnel which connects the Damansara-Puchong Highway (LDP) to the Subang Airport Road.

“We already have consultants working on the land acquisition and we expect it to be completed in 2013,” he said while explaining the plans to the media today with MBPJ Engineering Department director Cheremi Tarman.

The project is expected to start in a few months’ time.

Cheremi said the new tunnel will be parallel with the existing FAS tunnel that will lead to a new bypass to divert traffic to the Subang Airport Road without traversing any residential area.

The residents of Taman Kelana Idaman have been complaining about the heavy flow of traffic that goes through their neighbourhood as the FAS tunnel is the main access road for residents in Ara Damansara, Crimson Damansara, Taman Mayang, Taman Megah Mas and Taman Emas.

It is also the main access for road users from Petaling Jaya who use the LDP to go to Subang Jaya, USJ, Sungai Buloh, Kampung Melayu Subang and Shah Alam via the Subang Airport Road.

Another tunnel, the Megah Mas, was converted to one-way in August last year and is used by the residents to get to LDP.
MBPJ councillor Khairul Anuar Zainuddin told theSun the residents were aware of the plans but hoped for a solution while waiting for the construction to start.

Khairul said one of the suggestions was to build a slip road at Jalan 1A/4D leading into the compound of the PPR flats, effectively turning the whole road network into a one-way ring road but this turned down by the MBPJ infrastructure committee on Jan 12.

PETALING JAYA: Protests by a Facebook group called #taknak1care has prompted the Health Ministry to take on some of the group’s claims against the ministry’s proposed healthcare reforms under the 1Care for 1Malaysia system.

Health deputy director-general (Medical) Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, who joined the discussion on the group’s wall, said the plan was still at a conceptual stage.

“Nothing has been decided and the rakyat will be the first to know,” wrote Dr Noor Hisham in one of his first responses.

He added that speculation and assumptions were not going to help and people must give the new system a chance to be developed.

The Facebook group, citing ministry sources and some public documents, claimed the new healthcare system would be funded by the public through a compulsory contribution of 10% of their monthly income.

It had also claimed that the public would only be allowed to see their designated general practitioner a maximum of six times a year.

Dr Noor Hisham, in response to those claims, reiterated that it was premature to speculate and make an assumption on something the ministry had not studied in detail.

He, however, implied that the scheme might be, in part, funded by employees’ wages as he wrote “your salary goes to the scheme”.

Dr Noor Hisham also said the ministry had only started the first stage of transformation, which is the strengthening of existing healthcare services.

He noted that the Health Ministry would be assisted by the World Health Organisation and experts in healthcare reform when it proceeds to the second stage, which is to study various healthcare models.

According to an earlier article in The Star by Health director-general Datuk Seri Dr Hasan Abdul Rahman, the concept paper on 1Care for 1Malaysia had been presented to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and members of the Economic Council in August 2009.

Consequently, the Health Mi­­nistry had received the mandate to develop the 1Care blueprint.

Many of us may have read about this national health care program in the making but I am sure we don’t pay it much attention. What I found out from my neighbour yesterday shocked me. I was told once this bill is passed by Parliament and becomes law, we have to pay 10% of our monthly salary as our contributions to this health care program.

If this is true, I am sure all of us are very concerned.

So if you are free on 12th February, you may want to attend this public forum.

Anyone care to enlighten?

We wish all Chinese celebrating the Year of the Water Dragon, Gong Xi Fa Cai!
May this year brings your lots of luck and happiness too. For the newly weds,
may your wish for a Dragon son comes true!

For all others, enjoy your holiday break and drive safely!

SHAH ALAM (Jan 12, 2012): Selangor residents can from Jan 17 use a toll-free line to lodge complaints on garbage collection.

State executive councillor in charge of local councils Ronnie Liu said the hotline, 1-800-88-2824, would be manned from 8am-6pm daily. Complaints made after these hours will be recorded by an answering machine.

“All complaints made during operating hours will be dealt with immediately, with contractors sent to the location to clear and dispose the garbage. Complaints made after 6pm will be dealt with the next day,” he told reporters after a state executive council meeting here yesterday.

The hotline is part of the state’s initiative to address the problem of uncollected garbage, including deliberate mass-dumping on streets and back lanes. It also follows recent acts of sabotage in rubbish collection, where truckloads of rubbish have reportedly been strewn in several areas in Shah Alam, Petaling Jaya, Klang and Subang Jaya.

Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim last week disclosed that there had been instances of deliberate rubbish dumping in areas that had just been cleaned.

He had reportedly said the acts were part of a coordinated effort to show that the state, especially local councils, were not able to manage waste collection effectively.

Liu said residents could also use the hotline to lodge complaints on delays in rubbish collection by local councils.

The hotline is expected to enable the state to determine the percentage of complaints resolved and response time.

Since her soft opening more than 6 months ago, many more shops have made their presence at this neighbourhood mall. Famous brands like Harvey Norman and Mc Donalds are now in business, much to the delights of many residents here. The place is coming alive with larger crowd and some of the eateries are doing roaring business. However, the critical mass is not there yet and many shop lots remained shuttered. But it is looking promising as days go by as many more outlets have lined up for an opening.

The car park is still free and security personnel are stationed at both the entry and exit points. Since the auto-gate is not yet in operation and anyone can easily drive through, many have wondered the purpose of the security personnel. Perhaps they are there to check if we are bona fide shoppers? We do not know when charging will start but we hope the rates will be attractive. Shoppers want to shop at their own leisure. Others just want to have their favourite cup of coffee and watch the world go by. And the last thing they want is the thought that they have to fork out the equivalent of a cuppa for the parking. For a very young mall that is yet to be fully occupied, a wise thing the management of this mall should do is to keep the rates extra low. Certainly, it can’t remain free forever as it will be a magnet for residents across the road. The parking fee should be attractive. How about free parking for 1st two hours and a ringgit for every subsequent 4 hours?

The mall currently has quite a good tenant mix: a supermarket, a reputable electrical and electronic chain, a book store, a good number of restaurants, a limited number of fashion stores and even a bank! It will be great if there is a cineplex too.

Here are some shops that will be opening soon, what other shops would you like to see here?