PARLIAMENT | MPs pan private hospitals over arbitrary charges; close watch on elephants at Tennoji Zoo

PARLIAMENT SNAPSHOT | Lawmakers urge Bank Negara, MOH to intervene to protect consumers.

6pm

Healthcare

• Lawmakers from both sides of the political divide today were united in slamming private hospitals over arbitrary patient charges and a lack of transparency in billing practices.

  MPs debated a report by the Public Accounts Committee, which made 17 recommendations to Putrajaya to address rising health insurance premiums and escalating private hospital charges.

  Among the issues raised were disparities in charges between patients paying out of pocket and those covered by insurance - which MPs said have contributed to rising insurance premiums - as well as the practice of admitting patients for inpatient care in cases that should only require outpatient treatment.

  It was also pointed out that private hospitals often arbitrarily bill patients for every single item and services which should have been covered by their treatment and room charges, such as clinical waste disposal, change of linen and alcohol swabs, among others.

  Several representatives urged the government, particularly Bank Negara Malaysia and the Health Ministry, to intervene and protect consumers.

Animal welfare

• The Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability told the Dewan Rakyat Special Chambers that it is closely monitoring the welfare of the elephants Dara, Amoi, and Kelat since their relocation to Tennoji Zoo, Osaka, in March.

  

  According to Bernama, Deputy Minister Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh said the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) had conducted a comprehensive physical and psychological impact assessment before the zoo finalised a 25-year conservation cooperation programme with Taiping Zoo.

  “To ensure the welfare of these elephants remains optimal throughout their acclimatisation phase, seven Perhilitan mahouts have accompanied the animals on a rotational basis for two months since March.

  “As a follow-up monitoring measure, two additional mahouts have been sent to the zoo from June 1 to June 30 to ensure the long-term adaptation process goes smoothly,” he added.

Internet regulation

• Service providers have removed 755 offensive online content items related to the 3R topics of race, religion, and royalty between Jan 1, 2022 and June 1, 2026, said the Communications Ministry in a written reply.

  It said the MCMC also took enforcement action in 65 cases of online harm related to 3R issues involving the royal institution from Jan 1, 2023, to May 31, 2026.

  

  Of these, 10 cases were prosecuted in court, eight resulted in compounds, 27 received warning notices, and 20 are still under investigation.

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