KUALA LUMPUR: There are specific conditions to ensure that Full Paying Patient (FPP) services at selected public hospitals do not overburden doctors or compromise existing patient care, says the Health Ministry.
"Specialists involved in FPP must not neglect public patients, can only treat FPP outpatients up to 30% of total outpatient visits per session, and must complete public patient care first," said the ministry in a parliamentary written reply dated Dec 10 (Tuesday).
Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (IND-Kuala Kangsar) has queried the Health Ministry on its justification for expanding the private sections within government hospitals or FPP services.
He also questioned the potential burden FPP might place on doctors and its impact on patient care.
The ministry said that a 2018 study by its Institute for Health Management found general satisfaction among FPP patients regarding the service.
Introduced in 2007, the FPP service is currently available in ten government hospitals, including Hospital Putrajaya, Hospital Selayang, Hospital Pulau Pinang, Hospital Ampang, Hospital Serdang, Hospital Sungai Buloh, Hospital Sultanah Aminah and Hospital Sultan Ismail in Johor, Hospital Umum Sarawak and Hospital Queen Elizabeth II in Sabah.
The ministry said that the primary goals of FPP are to reduce the migration of medical specialists to private hospitals by providing them with a competitive income opportunity, lessen the government's financial burden of subsidising healthcare for those who can afford it, and offer patients the choice of being treated by a specialist of their preference.
"Beyond FPP, the ministry has introduced the 'Rakan KKM' initiative, offering value-added services to those who can pay without affecting access for the less privileged.
"This initiative is not an expansion of private sectors within government hospitals."
It said that Rakan KKM is a new initiative that fosters collaboration between patients, healthcare teams and government-linked investment companies (GLIC), facilitated by the Finance Ministry.
"It aims to retain healthcare workers in the public system by offering income growth opportunities, enhancing investment in public healthcare benefiting all patients, especially the B40 group and providing more value-based healthcare options to manage rising costs for the M40 group.
"Benefits from Rakan KKM will be reinvested into government hospitals and clinics through cross-subsidies, benefiting all patients, including non-participants."
