SHAH ALAM, JUNE 20 — The Selangor State Government continues to expand access to affordable healthcare through a network of hospitals under Selgate Healthcare (Selgate) to help the people cope with rising medical costs and insurance premiums.
Selangor Public Health and Environment Exco, Jamaliah Jamaluddin said that Selgate Specialist Hospital Rawang, which was launched last May, is now involved in the Hospital Services Outsourcing Program (HSOP), which allows certain patients to be referred to private hospitals for treatment.
He said the move would not only provide patients with faster access to treatment, but also help reduce pressure and congestion at public health facilities.
“The Selangor State Government is strengthening collaboration between Selgate with insurance companies, Takaful, third party administrators (TPA) and the corporate sector to ensure that the treatment price structure remains affordable, especially for the B40 and M40 groups,” he told Bernama.
Jamaliah said that Iltizam Selangor Sihat (ISS) benefit holders can also obtain treatment for illnesses and services covered under the programme through the Selgate ecosystem.
He said the integration between Selcare Management Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the state government, and the SELangkah application allows the registration process, verification of eligibility and management of health benefits to be carried out more efficiently.
“The state government’s goal is to ensure that the people not only receive health assistance, but can access these benefits easily when they need treatment,” he said.
Meanwhile, the head of the Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Prof Dr Mohd Arshil Moideen described the affordable private hospital model introduced by Selgate as an intervention measure that has the potential to bridge the gap in people’s ability to obtain treatment as medical costs and insurance premiums continue to rise.
He said the initiative could also be a short-term solution to help reduce congestion at government hospitals, but more formal integration between the public and private sectors needed to be strengthened to ensure more comprehensive benefits.
“Through the targeted service purchasing method by the Ministry of Health (MOH), public funds can be used to finance certain procedures for B40 patients in hospitals such as Selgate, thus helping to reduce congestion in government hospitals more effectively,” he said.
Mohd Arshil said that the sustainability of the affordable private hospital model in the long term depends on diversifying income sources to face the challenges of global medical inflation and currency weakness.
He also suggested the use of high-quality generic medicines to control treatment costs and reduce dependence on imported medicines and equipment.
“As a government-linked company (GLC) entity, Selgate can leverage its scale to manage its own pharmacy chain and strengthen its corporate primary healthcare package which is more preventative,” he said.
Last May, the Menteri Besar of Selangor, Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, said the official opening of Selgate Specialist Hospital Rawang was able to accommodate the demand for specialist services in the northern corridor of Selangor, which is currently recording rapid population growth.
He said the hospital, with a capacity of 224 beds, would not just meet the needs of private healthcare, but would also be part of the state government’s efforts to expand health benefits to the people.
— BERNAMA
