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A few days ago I referred a 10-year-old boy from a poor family living in my location to a government hospital for kidney disease. It being urgent, I told the boy that he needs to go to the hospital as soon as possible. The poor parents had to take a day off to take the child to the hospital.

On arrival at the Nephrology Department of the hospital, they were told that if they are referred by private doctors they will charged extensively even though they produce a Malaysian identity card.

This, it seems, was a directive from the Health Ministry in that those with referral letters from private general practitioners/medical centres could be considered as ‘rich’ patients!

The child was advised by the hospital’s counter staff to go back to their local Health Clinic to get a referral letter from either the Medical Assistant or the doctor there. They were told that producing a referral letter from a government Health Clinic would guarantee them free treatment or treatment with minimal payment.

The family, being from the low-income group, then drove all the way back to their local government Health Clinic, picked a number, waited for their turn, saw the Medical Assistant who then just copied the referral leter given by me and asked the child to go back to the hospital.

By the time the boy reached the hospital, the Nephrology Clinic had closed for the day.

Now the question I would like to ask is, why are citizens of this country being discriminated against by government hospitals depending on where they get their referral letters from?

Aren’t they entitled to free medical treatment at government hospitals? And since when do only poor patients go to government clinics? Why are the sick being given the runaround by the Health Ministry and hospital staff?

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