KUALA LUMPUR, July 15 — Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) in the healthcare sector should be expanded and enhanced in order to effectively maximise existing healthcare capacities in Malaysia and bridge the gaps in services.
Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali said close partnership between sectors can increase treatment options for lower and middle-income groups, as well as ensure continuity of care, particularly for patients with chronic diseases.
“The unprecedented (COVID-19) pandemic over the past two years was indeed a wake-up call for everyone, including the healthcare sector. This is an opportunity for all of us to acknowledge the gaps which need to be filled and work together towards the common goal of strengthening Malaysia’s healthcare system,” he said.
Dr Noor Azmi said this in his address when opening the KPJ Healthcare Conference 2022, themed The Pandemic: Now and What Next? at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre here today.
He said the public and private sectors are yet to be perfectly integrated with one another, with the public sector catering for two-thirds of outpatient and inpatient cases but 75 percent of specialists in Malaysia were in the private sector.
He added that resources, burden of work and data are not easily shared between the two, leading to delays in diagnosis and treatment, unnecessary repeat investigations and added costs.
“Nonetheless, in the most unexpected of times and under emergency conditions, the public and private sectors did meet. The government procured services for vaccinations and sent non-COVID-19 cases by decanting them to private hospitals. Even today, we have continued this approach to reduce some of the public sector’s backlogs,” he said.
He said the government has allocated over RM250 million for decanting programmes with private healthcare providers over a three-year period from 2020.
Dr Noor Azmi also acknowledged the assistance provided by KPJ Healthcare throughout the pandemic in the areas of vaccination, decanting of patients as well as the donation of medical equipment.
Meanwhile, KPJ Healthcare Berhad president and managing director Datuk Mohd Shukrie Mohd Salleh said the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic brings an opportunity to convene and tap into each other’s expertise in working together towards the common goal of strengthening Malaysia’s healthcare system.
He said consumers expect industry leaders to leverage this momentum created during the COVID-19 pandemic to continue to propel the healthcare industry forward.
“For KPJ, this also means ramping up our digitalisation efforts, ensuring we maintain quality care and service to all our patients across our network of hospitals, and more importantly, staying agile with the ability to shift gears to meet the evolving needs,” he said.
The KPJ Healthcare Conference is an annual event that marks its 23rd year this year and held physically for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Over 500 people are expected to attend the two-day programme.
It will discuss pertinent issues on care, encompassing lessons learned from the pandemic, digitalisation, transformation, and technology as well as crucial issues and trends in healthcare management and patient safety.
