PUTRAJAYA: The Rakan KKM initiative is not a form of privatisation, but a transformative effort by the Health Ministry (MOH) to improve access to elective procedures in public healthcare facilities, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said.
He pointed out that his ministry was able to utilise its pool of specialists and the available capacity within its health facilities to offer patients the option of receiving elective treatments more quickly through the initiative.
“This (initiative) is not for emergency cases. For emergencies, everyone is treated equally, whether you are B40, M40, or T20. There is no priority.
“But for elective procedures, patients now have a choice. They can wait six or seven months under the normal queue, or they can opt for faster access through Rakan KKM or even go to private healthcare,” he said after the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the ministry and IHH Healthcare Malaysia here today.
He pointed out that the programme did not involve any private sector funding, but was fully financed by government-linked investment companies (GLICs) that have confidence in the public healthcare system’s capabilities.
Dzulkefly also said that the programme also has the potential to generate additional revenue, which would be channelled back into public healthcare facilities, directly benefiting the public health system.
“This income is also intended to boost incentives for medical specialists, assistant medical officers, and other healthcare workers, because we want to, among other things, retain our specialists,” he added.
Rakan KKM is a whole-of-government partnership to enhance ministry hospitals and clinics for all Malaysians, aimed to increase the retention of healthcare workers to benefit all patients; raise the floor, especially for the B40, by increasing investment in the public healthcare system; and raise the ceiling, especially for the M40, by providing more value-based options amidst rising healthcare costs.
The programme offers ‘premium economy’ services at selected public hospitals for elective outpatient, daycare, and inpatient services, including personalised care, specialist choice and enhanced privacy. – Bernama
