The Health  Ministry wants to meet with critics of its "1Care for 1Malaysia" national healthcare insurance scheme so that they can better understand the government's initiative in mooting the scheme.

"The ministry is aware that observations and assumptions have already been made by various groups and individuals regarding the proposed 1Care concept.

"The ministry is hopeful that these groups and individuals will continue to engage with the MoH through face-to-face briefings to seek better understanding and clarification of the proposed

concept," Health Ministry director-general Dr Hasan Abdul Rahman said in statement yesterday.

Hasan said the proposal was still in its infancy and the ministry has met with local and international experts in the field before drafting a concept paper on how to make 1Care work.

His response comes in the wake of a campaign mounted by several groups rejecting the proposal, insisting that the government focus its energy on improving the existing system's standards.

The online campaign run by Citizens' Healthcare Coalition (CHC), states, among others, that every individual will have to contribute up to 10 percent of his or her monthly salary to a regulatory body for basic healthcare, and that 1Care is restrictive in the options it gives patients.

NONE At a media briefing yesterday, CHC and the Federation of Private Medical Practitioners' Associations, Malaysia (FPMPAM) said consumer groups were left out of the ministry's discussions when the scheme was conceptualised, unlike in past occasions where they were invited to air their views.

CHC spokesperson Dr T Jayabalan ( on right in  picture above ) said "access to healthcare will also become a problem under 1Care" and that the NGOs were willing to be challenged on their anticipation of what the 1Care programme would entail.

Ministry taking pro-active approach

Hasan said 1Care programme aimed to improve the present healthcare delivery model and to ensure that "all Malaysians (are given) comprehensive health coverage, as well as high quality care".

"The ministry is still at a drafting stage on the design of the blueprint for 1Care and foresees that this may take some time before it can even be able to proceed to the next stage of the implementation plan.

"During the planning and discussion stages of the proposed 1Care, it is still incumbent upon the ministry to continue to provide better healthcare to the people in its public facilities.

"As such, the ministry has embarked on incremental transformation of our public health services, especially in improving access to health services.

"These include areas such as decreasing waiting time at our healthcare facilities; extending the service hours of clinics; home delivery of medication to patients with chronic illnesses; de-congesting hospitals through creation of satellite clinics and low-risk centres and others," Hasan added.

He said the ministry was also taking "pro-active" measures to ensure that every Malaysian would be taken care of without shouldering the burden of rising costs.

Currently, the ministry was hosting discussions and consultations on how the scheme would be funded and its implications for the government and taxpayers alike.

"Any assumption or conjecture on the financial impact on individual taxpayers is very premature at this stage, as discussions are being held at the moment to ensure that a positive and workable model will not burden government, taxpayers and individuals," Hasan added.

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