A social health insurance scheme for B40 households will be implemented beginning January next year, Health Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said today.

He said discussions on the scheme were in the final stages, and would be expanded to other categories of the society, like the M40.

The ministry, he added, was also discussing with various quarters, including Bank Negara and the Finance Ministry, on resources to finance the scheme before it is included in the 2019 Budget, he said.

“I want this scheme to be fine-tuned before it is tabled to the public,” he told a press conference after the ministry’s monthly assembly here today.

Dzulkefly said the social health insurance scheme would be different from the 1Care 1Malaysia protection plan introduced by the previous government.

Prior to this, Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye was reported to have said that under the proposed scheme, the government could provide insurance protection of between RM10,000 and RM20,000 a year per family for their hospital bills.

In another development, Dzulkefly said the ministry had instructed the Penang Health Department to investigate claims of some specialist doctors at a hospital in the state who discuss medical cases with junior colleagues in Mandarin, even if they are unable to understand the language.

Earlier, Dzulkefly launched the MyOrtho and MyGusi mobile applications, aimed at enhancing public awareness canal root treatment to save one’s tooth from extraction.

The apps can be downloaded at Google Play Store and Apple Store.

- Bernama