In reply to the letter by Dr Teh Yik Koon entitled Private practice should be curbed , I have a few opinions to share.

Firstly, due to the limited budget allocated for the health facilities, it is unlikely that the government could provide an abundance of hospital beds and facilities to cater for the expanding Malaysian population.

The reasons why the government cannot cater for this budget-wise is best known to government policy makers and all those who know. To cut the story short, in some countries, the budget for healthcare ranges from 5% to 20 % of the country's total budget, some maybe more. But in Malaysia, it is sadly at or below 5%.

In developed countries, healthcare is the most debated or demanded for subject before an election, and the public in those countries demand for it. In our country, the public overlooks this most important topic and are distracted by less important issues such as public services, roads and drains, etc. Is this because the public is too easy to please? Or because healthcare is really not that crucial to them? Or is the media curbed from expressing this issue? It is up to you to judge.

Recently, I had a patient who was presented with dementia symptoms for the past one year. If he had gone to a general hospital, I believe the appointment for his brain scan would have been delayed. His brain scan done in a private hospital on the same day of his presentation showed a huge brain tumor. If I were him, I would be grateful for the availability of such choices or options and fast and efficient service.

Secondly, if you compare the fees charged by private healthcare operators in Malaysia - which are governed by the MMA's (Malaysian Medical Association) guidelines - with that of neighbouring and Western countries, you may find them to be modest.

The doctors are sympathetic enough to charge much lesser than stipulated for self-paying patients. I therefore disagree with Teh when he says 'Private doctors are there definitely there not for noble and charitable causes'. This is very hurting.