Friday March 31, 2006

Create a National Health Authority

PRIVATISING medical and health care may be a natural progression in government business but the Government must also ensure there is a National Health Authority that that will monitor healthcare provisions and to meet public’s health and medical needs.

While noting it was the government's responsibility to provide the people with healthcare, F.R. Bhupalan acknowledged it should not be seen as a burden to the Government.

Bhupalan: ‘Health is the most important aspect of life’

“However, health is the most important aspect of life and every one of us have a right to have access to it”, she said, adding that privatisation may be acceptable in other sectors but not in the medical and health scene,” said the former deputy president of the National Council of Women’s Organisation of Malaysia (NCWO).

Bhupalan said that the lower income group was drastically affected by privatisation which brings about a rise in the cost of medicines.

“As a result, health care becomes a burden to the people when it is the responsibility of the Government to provide as much as they can to the people.”

As an active member of the Coalition Against Health Care Privatisation (CAHP), Bhupalan said that the poor, the needy, the retirees and the government servants were unaffected by privatisation.

“But the government needs to improve its health programmes. What we need is something like a National Health Authority that is represented by a diverse population, to monitor healthcare provisions and to cater to the public’s demands.”

As for ways to improve health care picture for senior citizens, Bhupalan suggested subsiding health care for families with senior citizens, especially for those in the lower income bracket.

Additionally, she suggested the Government build and operate more old folks home to meet the needs of the elderly.

“The elderly crave for closer human contact. Provide them with their basic needs.

And with the number of elderly increasing by the year, geriatric care should also be improved, she said.

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