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KUALA LUMPUR — The Ministry of Health’s (MOH) initiative to outsource certain services to private hospitals has led to a significant reduction in waiting times for several medical procedures, according to Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad.
A survey conducted in 2024 on the Hospital Services Outsourcing Programme (HSOP) highlighted that waiting times for arteriovenous fistula (AVF) surgery were reduced by 75%, from 16 weeks down to just 4 weeks. Additionally, the time needed to schedule MRI and ultrasound scans dropped by 20%, from 20 weeks to 16 weeks, and the wait for CT scans decreased by 14%, from 14 weeks to 12 weeks.
The 2024 iteration of HSOP focused on four main areas: radiology and imaging (including CT scans, MRI, and ultrasound), nephrology (AVF surgery), cardiothoracic surgery (for both adult and pediatric heart surgeries), and cardiology (investigations and interventions).
In a written response to Senator Noraini Idris in the Dewan Negara on December 4, Dzulkefly explained that the services provided under HSOP will be expanded over time based on patient demand and the volume of treatments required.
In Sabah, the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in Kota Kinabalu participated in the 2024 HSOP, offering radiology and imaging (CT scans and MRIs) as well as cardiology services (including Holter monitoring and echocardiography). As of November 19 last year, 242 patients in Sabah had benefited from the program, which helped to significantly shorten the waiting times for these services.
The Health Minister further confirmed that the MOH intends to continue with the HSOP in the future.
Private hospitals are absorbing the costs; we’re treating it as a form of corporate social responsibility, but we’re willing to do it to support the government.
Dr. Kuljit Singh, President of the Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia
Dr. Kuljit Singh, president of the Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM), shared at a town hall on January 9, organized by the MOH to discuss diagnosis-related groups (DRG), that private hospitals participating in HSOP had faced financial losses over the past year. He explained, “Private hospitals are absorbing the costs; we’re treating it as a form of corporate social responsibility, but we’re willing to do it to support the government.”
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Sai Sindhuja K/MSM)
