Patients willing to pay more for better services at govt clinics

 

The waiting period at government clinics ranges from two hours to half a day. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: Patients at government clinics are willing to pay more for improved facilities as the healthcare system struggles to cope with high demand.

Those met by FMT at the Bandar Baru Bangi government clinic said they are happy with the services provided but feel they could be better.

“I have no problem paying more if the service is faster and more efficient,” Yunos, 69, said, although he is satisfied with the present facilities and the treatment provided by the staff.

He said the wait time at the clinic is getting shorter, and he was seen by the doctor within two hours.

However, according to some other patients, not all government clinics are as efficient.

They spoke of instances when patients had to wait half a day to receive treatment.

“Maybe it is due to lack of staff and that the clinic caters to people from a large area,” Azalina, 36, a mother of three, said when met at the Sungai Chua government clinic.

Government employees and pensioners are eligible for free treatment at government hospitals and clinics. Others only need to pay a one-time fee of RM1 to register as a patient.

Back at the Bandar Baru Bangi government clinic, diabetes patient Pariama, 52, said she preferred to be treated there instead of her original clinic in Bangi because she felt she was getting better treatment.

“At some clinics the staff like to scold patients,” she claimed, adding that at one government clinic she previously went to in Banting, “when the saline bag runs out, they don’t even bother to change”.

In June last year, then health minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the public healthcare system was struggling to keep up with the needs of the people and called for reform, especially in terms of funding.

Inadequate funding has resulted in a lack of staff, continued use of old equipment, and lower standard of maintenance.

Khairy also noted that the ratio of national expenditure on the public sector healthcare to gross GDP was only 2.6%, well below the average of 4% for middle-income countries and below the 5%-6% recommended by the World Health Organization. - FMT