I am advised that a healthcare symposium is being organised by a group of medical practitioners in Selangor.

I am told that the purpose of this symposium is to foresee, discuss and formulate answers to the challengers that the healthcare system in Malaysia is likely to encounter as the nation pushes forward to achieve the status of a developed nation by the year 2020.

To impress others that it is a serious meet, the program content will have topics like ‘globalisation and healthcare’, managed care organisations, dead horse topics like ‘national healthcare financing’ and non relevant issues like ‘general practices of the future’.

One wonders just why are we continuing to rerun these topics repeatedly and in the name of the nation’s consumers. A simple glance at the programme will show several disparities, loopholes and glaring weaknesses.

Who will speak for the people at this symposium? All I see referred to are ‘practitioners and policymakers’ but will they really articulate the issues, and to be specific, speak for the real intentions, needs, rights and interests of Malaysian consumers?

The issues and topics to be discussed are far too wide and diverse and it is quite clear that nothing tangible is going to be achieved.

And why is there a multinational business entity involved in a ‘sponsored talk’? What are they doing in this symposium? Are they financing part of this symposium? And why?

Healthcare stakeholders must realise that we are now in an arena where consumers do not want half-measures and ‘spins’. They want change and progressive healthcare which takes into account the primary interest of all stakeholders and players in the healthcare paradigm.

They become suspicious of the real motives of these ‘sponsors’ and organisers, not that it is not already been speculated on already

It is a pity when those who claim that they want to change the system and advocate a ‘change that all can believe in’ refuse to change themselves. They look for handouts, sponsorships, door gifts and what-have-you from multinational companies.

They thus compromise the ideals of many who may want to participate in the said symposium but feel uneasy knowing that there are many agendas being played out in this meet.

The real challenge for the organiser is to do things without the assistance of Big Pharma but they already know this, don’t they?

Perhaps this is why a fundamental topic namely, ‘A code of ethics, reforms and accountability – the real challenge for Malaysian healthcare’ is not on the programme?

The writer is president, Consumers Association of Subang and Shah Alam, Selangor