Hospital review apt in costly times
COMMENT
By TOMMY LEE
Star, 2nd May 2008.
The staggering fees charged by private hospitals and the competency of doctors at 24-hour clinics are matters that the new Health Minister needs to deal with to ensure good and affordable healthcare reaches the rakyat.
THE recent statement by Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai that private hospital charges for room, equipment and medicine will be reviewed is certainly timely, especially when the rakyat is faced with spiralling prices of goods.
Although the announcement augurs well for the people, the minister must show the public that he means business and is not just paying lip service.
He should walk the talk and see to it that these hospitals balance their profit impetus with compassion by providing affordable health care for the people.
There have been far too many complaints of patients being charged exorbitant fees after undergoing treatment at private hospitals.
I remember a friend telling me sometime ago that her grandmother was taken to a private hospital in Sungai Petani where the doctors removed a fish bone stuck in her throat.
The bill came up to a whopping – and absurd – RM3,000. Any patient would have choked on seeing the bill.
It was a non-invasive procedure. I was told that the doctors knew the lady was from a rich local family.
Here is a fine example of overcharging. Similar laws and punishment meted out on traders profiteering from overpriced goods could perhaps be introduced for hospitals to check indiscriminate charges.
Then there was also a case of either wrong diagnosis or was the doctor suffering from “money face” disease?
Another friend went to a private hospital in Penang complaining of severe stomach pains and diarrhoea.
After examining her, the doctor told her that she has to be immediately admitted for surgery for acute appendicitis.
Not knowing what to do, she called her father who advised her to get a second opinion.
She went to another private hospital and, to her relief, was told she was suffering from an upset stomach as a result of some food that did not agree with her. It has been three years now and her appendix is fine.
These are just some anecdotes. There must be many, many more. Can the ministry do something about it?
Last week, the minister said that he would instruct his director-general to set up a committee to conduct a thorough study on the issue of private hospital fees.
He should get this committee established and functioning soon. It would be better if the committee is also given the task of drawing up a list of reasonable charges.
Of course these charges would vary as hospitals might argue that their rooms were of five-star quality and so forth.
A watchdog body, along the lines of the government hospital board of visitors, could perhaps be set up to ensure private hospitals adhere to a list of fair charges. Complaints could also be channelled to such a body.
However, not all hospitals are overly profit-conscious. There are compassionate hospitals that set aside funds to help the needy. One notable one is the Penang Adventist Hospital that has so far sponsored 450 heart surgeries.
Its community relations coordinator Chin Hsien Hui said the hospital set up its heart fund in 1988 and has so far disbursed RM5mil for heart surgeries for the needy.
Another matter the minister might want to look into is the 24-hour clinics in the country.
They should be well equipped to handle emergency cases and have proper equipment to deal with common emergencies such as heart attacks and strokes.
More importantly, attending doctors should also be competent and able to cope with emergencies such as this at the clinics.
This competence can be critical. Ten years ago, on the first day of Chinese New Year, I rushed my father to the nearest 24-hour clinic after he complained of chest discomfort after dinner. I thought he had indigestion. He certainly had no history of heart disease.
The doctor took his blood pressure and took some blood for tests, then he asked my father to go to the next room to have a chest X-ray.
My father sat down on the bench after the X-ray and suddenly began gasping for air.
I immediately called the doctor who rushed out and did not appear to know what to do.
He looked helpless and kept saying my father was having a stroke. Someone must have called an ambulance, because it came 20 minutes later while the panic-stricken doctor had earlier placed some kind of breathing apparatus over my father's mouth.
I followed the ambulance in my car and when I arrived at the hospital, I was told my father had passed away. My experience could be an isolated case and out there thousands of patients visit 24-hour clinics everyday.
If doctors are competent and such clinics are better equipped, we can be assured of proper treatment. This is another area the minister might want to look into.
As for private hospitals, it is time to consider some “national service” or better still, call it “dana”. It is good for the soul. As they say, it blesses him that gives and him that receives.