Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad has responded to claims that the National Heart Institute (IJN) was discharging civil servants and pensioners due to government cost-cutting measures.
In a letter published on CodeBlue, an unnamed pensioner claimed that he was discharged after receiving extensive care at IJN and told that the ministry issued a directive that all civil servants and pensioners should be discharged to the Health Ministry cardiac centre nearest to their homes.
"This is not the first and last time I have responded to this recurring issue. IJN and the Health Ministry already have a good working relationship, even after the corporatisation of IJN.
"For a long time, the Health Ministry has referred complex cases and critical heart patients to IJN, especially to reduce the congestion and long waiting periods at Health Ministry cardiac centres, for example, the one in Serdang.
"We have seven hospitals which have cardiology services and three including cardiothoracic services and the Health Ministry pays IJN for every patient referred to it using the annual federal funding received from the Finance Ministry," Dzulkefly said on Facebook.
Therefore, to ensure more patients can be referred to lJN, patients are allowed to be discharged once their condition is stable to other Health Ministry cardiac centres, he explained.
However, the statement did not address the pensioner's specific complaint that cardiologists at the Health Ministry’s centre he was referred to informed him that they did not have the expertise nor supplies required to treat him.
It is unclear from the minister's statement whether in cases such as this, patients who have already been discharged can be referred back to IJN.
Monitoring
In a Health Ministry statement accompanying his post, it was clarified that the referred patients continued to be monitored for six months to one year if they are adults and one to two years if they are children.
"This strategic approach allows approximately 4,000 new patients to be referred to IJN annually, maximising cost-effectiveness," it said.
Dzulkefly assured that the Health Ministry cardiac centres are also managed by reputable and accredited cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons.
"Most importantly, the ministry will continue to ensure patient care and safety is not affected," he added.
IJN had in September addressed a similar issue, where it said it is following a government circular issued in 2002 stating that patients paid for by the government are to be discharged back to the referring hospital 12 months after the procedure.
"This is done when the patient requires continuous follow-up treatment and management," it said in the statement published by Pocket Times.
‘Unfair to pensioners’
Former minister Rafidah Aziz has also commented on the pensioner’s letter, calling it unfair to discharge government pensioners from IJN if they still need specialised care which only the institute can provide.
She pointed out that retirement packages for government pensioners include guaranteed treatment, "especially for chronic and specialised treatment".
"Surely 'cost-cutting' should be targeted at the many wasteful ad hoc programmes at all levels of government for all kinds of events.
"Not by playing with the lives of those in most need of medical treatments, which smaller hospitals and clinics cannot provide.
"Has the Madani government suddenly taken a sharp U-turn, and IJN has done something truly at odds and against the grain of what is Madani? What a sad turn of events," she said in a statement.
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