A parliamentary select committee chaired by William Leong has urged the government to establish a healthcare financing scheme for refugees and foreign nationals to ease public healthcare costs.
KUALA LUMPUR: The government has been urged to establish a sustainable financing mechanism, including a health insurance scheme, to reduce the financial burden on the national healthcare system arising from the use of public healthcare facilities by refugees and foreign nationals.
Human Rights, Election and Institutional Reform Select Committee chairman William Leong Jee Keen (PH-Selayang) said the increasing number of refugees had direct implications for the public healthcare system, particularly in terms of outstanding payments for medical treatment.
“A more sustainable financing approach, including insurance mechanisms, cost-sharing and a continuous financing framework, needs to be developed immediately to reduce the government’s financial burden.
“This is important to ensure public health continues to be safeguarded without compromising Malaysians’ right to quality healthcare services,” he said.
He said this when winding up the debate on the committee’s report on refugee management in Malaysia in the Dewan Rakyat today, which was participated in by 14 Members of Parliament.
Leong said the findings were based on a series of presentations and hearing sessions with various agencies, including the Ministry of Health (MOH), Ministry of Home Affairs (MOHA), Ministry of Human Resources (KESUMA), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Social Services and Community Development Organisation (PSPK).
Apart from healthcare, the committee also recommended several key measures, including expediting the implementation of the Refugee Registration Document (DPP) under MOHA as a basis for more systematic and centralised data registration.
According to him, PSPK’s presentation provided a clear picture of the realities faced by refugees, including the lack of legal employment opportunities, which forces them to rely on the informal sector, increasing the risk of labour exploitation and affecting the wellbeing of local communities.
“KESUMA also presented a proposed mechanism for refugees who obtain DPPs to access employment, and the committee believes the policy should be implemented in stages, in a controlled manner and with monitoring to ensure it does not affect employment opportunities for locals or become a pull factor for illegal entry of new refugees,” he said.
Leong said refugee management must be accompanied by strict border controls, including action against human smuggling syndicates and those who harbour foreign nationals, while cooperation with UNHCR should continue to address refugee issues through information sharing, data management and capacity building.
He also recommended that overall refugee management be placed under the coordination of the National Security Council (MKN) to prevent ministries from operating in silos.
“The committee believes these recommendations are not intended to change the country’s existing policy towards refugees, but rather to strengthen the existing management mechanisms so that they are more organised, transparent, effective and centred on safeguarding the national interest,” he said.