Refugee healthcare comes at a price - MPs push for insurance, cost-sharing

 

Malaysia’s public healthcare system should not be left footing the bill for treating refugees and foreign nationals, a parliamentary committee said, calling for an insurance scheme and other sustainable financing mechanisms to ease the burden on government coffers.

Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Human Rights, Election and Institutional Reform chairperson William Leong (Harapan-Selayang) said the growing refugee population was placing additional pressure on public healthcare, particularly through outstanding medical bills.

“A more sustainable financing approach, including insurance mechanisms, cost-sharing and a continuous financing framework, needs to be developed immediately to reduce the government’s financial burden.

“This is important to ensure public health continues to be safeguarded without compromising Malaysians’ right to quality healthcare services,” Leong (above) was quoted as saying by Bernama.

Leong was winding up the debate on the committee’s report on refugee management in Malaysia in the Dewan Rakyat today, after 14 MPs took part in the debate.

The committee’s recommendations followed presentations and hearings involving the Health Ministry, Home Ministry, Human Resources Ministry, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Social Services and Community Development Organisation (PSPK).

Several pressure points

However, healthcare was just one pressure point identified by the committee.

It also called for the Refugee Registration Document (DPP) under the Home Ministry to be implemented more quickly, providing a centralised system for registering refugees and building a clearer picture of who is in the country.

Leong said PSPK’s presentation highlighted another problem which is refugees without legal avenues to work are pushed into the informal sector, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation and creating wider concerns for local communities.

“The Human Resources Ministry also presented a proposed mechanism for refugees who obtain DPPs to access employment.

The committee believes the policy should be implemented in stages, in a controlled manner and with monitoring to ensure it does not affect employment opportunities for locals or become a pull factor for illegal entry of new refugees,” he said.

Refugee management, border controls

The committee also stressed that better refugee management must go hand in hand with tighter border controls, including action against human smuggling syndicates and those who harbour foreign nationals.

Cooperation with UNHCR should continue, particularly on information sharing, data management and capacity building, Leong said.

It also proposed putting overall refugee management under the National Security Council (NSC), arguing that a central coordinating mechanism was needed to prevent ministries from working in silos.

“The committee believes these recommendations are not intended to change the country’s existing policy towards refugees, but rather to strengthen the existing management mechanisms so that they are more organised, transparent, effective and centred on safeguarding the national interest,” he said. - Mkini