The RM100 million allocated for private hospitals is restricted to covering patients referred by public hospitals, said Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM) president Dr Kuljit Singh.
The funding was mentioned as part of the Perlindungan Ekonomi dan Rakyat Malaysia (Permai) stimulus plan announced earlier this month.
Speaking to Malaysiakini, Kuljit explained the money will be used on public hospital patients whom doctors refer to private hospitals for treatment.
These referrals are the prerogative of public hospital doctors.
Patients will not be able to make the request themselves. Neither will the funding apply for walk-in private hospital patients.
"If they (public hospital doctors) feel this particular patient may require treatment quickly, urgent surgery or medication; it is up to them to then say 'we will send you off to a private hospital to get your treatment sorted out'.
"But it is (on) a case-by-case basis. It is based on their assessment, and it is their decision," he said.
After making the assessment, the public hospital doctor will need to come to a consensus with a corresponding private hospital doctor over two matters - the patient's needs and treatment charges.
Only then can the transfer be made.
"The patient will not have to pay, the government will pay. But there will need to be an agreed payment amount between the private and government hospital.
"Before the patient can be sent (over), the doctor in the government hospital will communicate with the doctor in the private hospital if they can accept the payment.
"It is very regulated and controlled," Kuljit explained, adding that the government has spending caps for each medical procedure and treatment.
He also shared that this process of "decanting" patients from public to private hospitals had been in place even before the Covid-19 pandemic began.
However, the RM100 million allocation will allow for much more non-Covid-19 and Covid-19 patients from public hospitals to be treated at private facilities on public funds.
Few details from government
Putrajaya was previously asked to explain how the RM100 million would be used after it did not publicise any details.
During his Jan 18 Permai speech, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had briefly said the allocation was for private hospitals to receive and treat Covid-19 and non-Covid-19 cases from public hospitals.
Health Minister Dr Adham Baba and his deputy Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali did not comment when previously contacted about details of the allocation.
Health Ministry secretary-general Dr Chen Chaw Min also did not respond to Malaysiakini's questions.
To date, 96 private hospitals have been roped in because the fast-rising number of Covid-19 cases has strained the public healthcare system.
Malaysia presently has 45,478 active Covid-19 cases. An estimated 15 percent of them are severe cases that need hospital attention.
Walk-in patients pay
Earlier this week, Putrajaya said Covid-19 patients will need to pay for their own treatment should they choose to go to private hospitals for now.
This was while the government resumed talks with insurance companies on alternative payment options.
Asked about the policy, Kuljit confirmed that walk-in Covid-19 patients will have to bear the full cost of their treatment at private hospitals.
He shared that the government does not regulate or standardise how much private facilities can charge for Covid-19 or other conditions.
"It is up to the individual private hospital. Private hospital charges depend on geographical location and the type of hospital.
"All this means our charges can vary. It can't be particular standard pricing.
"But of course, all these things are told to the patient upfront so that they know what the costing will be," he said.
Kuljit assured that private hospitals were being "reasonable and sensitive" amidst the Covid-19 pandemic but stressed that costs needed to be covered.
As for now, he said several private hospitals have already begun admitting walk-in Covid-19 patients of all categories.
"The first step that the government wants us to do is to help out (by) looking after patients who can afford it, so they don't have to go to KKM and clog their system," Kuljit said.
Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah previously said that the public-private integration plan would begin with transferring non-Covid-19 patients from the public to private hospitals.
Private hospitals will also need to admit and treat Covid-19 cases instead of referring them to public hospitals like before.
The ministry is considering decanting Covid-19 patients from the public to private facilities.
Malaysia admits patients in Category Three (serious symptoms), Category Four ( pneumonia and requiring oxygen), and Category Five (critical illness and multi-organ failure) to hospital. - Mkini
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