KUALA LUMPUR, June 3 — All ProtectHealth Corporation Sdn Bhd (ProtectHealth) board members do not receive any salaries or allowances.
The Ministry of Health (MOH), in a statement today, said that ProtectHealth, which was established under the ministry on Dec 19, 2016, is a non-profit company carrying out the role of coordinating, administrating and managing initiatives related to financing healthcare services.
ProtectHealth has five board members, namely Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah and MOH secretary-general Datuk Mohd Shafiq Abdullah as representatives from the ministry; as well as Datin Rosni Mohd Yusoff, representing the Finance Ministry; Johari Abdul Muid and Nurhisham Hussein of the Employees Provident Fund.
“Civil servants are allowed to become board members of government companies, including holding the post of board chairman.
“This is clearly stated under Service Circular 3 1985 titled Guidelines on the Appointment and Role of Government Officials as Chairman, Chief Executive and Board Member of Public Corporations, Government Companies and Government-Interest Companies,” it said.
The MOH said ProtectHealth was formed through the Cabinet’s mandate as the strategic purchaser to improve the country’s healthcare quality while ensuring healthcare costs are reasonable.
It said the entity’s governance is monitored by the Governance, Monitoring and Evaluation Committee (GMEC), whose members comprise representatives from the Accountant-General’s Department, legal advisers, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, Health Minister’s office and academics.
It added that ProtectHealth operates by running healthcare-related initiatives and programmes as a liasion and facilitator in public-private collaborations, as well as assisting in optimising existing resources besides enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of health services.
“On April 15, 2019, in line with the mandate of the establishment of ProtectHealth as a strategic purchaser, the organisation also performs its duties as the administrator of the B40 Group Healthcare Scheme (PeKa B40).
“Beginning Nov 12 last year, ProtectHealth was appointed as the electronic service provider (ESP) for Foreign Workers Health Insurance Protection Scheme based on its experience and ability as the MOH’s strategic purchaser.
The MOH said that on Feb 19 this year, ProtectHealth was appointed by the government to manage the participation of private general practitioners for phase 2 and 3 of the COVID-19 National Immunisation Programme to ensure more effective implementation of the programme.
