Kami mengambil maklum jawapan Menteri Kesihatan Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai bahawa rancangan system kesihatan 1Care hanya akan siap dalam masa dua tahun.
Beliau juga telah berjanji melancarkan satu sesi penerangan seluruh negara bagi menjelaskan dan mendengar pandangan rakyat tentang 1Care.
Sebagaimana disebutkan di dalam kenyataan kami sebelum ini, kami mempersoalkan jaminan Menteri Kesihatan sebagaimana rekodnya di dalam kontroversi Lynas.
Juga amat mengejutkan bahawa Menteri Kesihatan hanya bercakap tentang menjelaskan dan mendengar pandangan rakyat sekarang, selepas 1Care mendapat tentangan daripada rakyat. Seperti pengumuman BN yang lain contohnya SBPA, proses perundingan nampaknya dilakukan selepas mendapat kritikan rakyat.
Kami juga menerima aduan-aduan daripada doktor-doktor yang terlibat didalam perbincangan mengenai 1Care sebelum ini bahawa tiada proses rundingan dan dialog sebenar. Kerajaan nampaknya akan meneruskan 1Care.
Kami juga berharap Menteri Kesihatan akan member respons terhadap cadangan kami bagi langkah-langkah segera bagi menambahbaik system kesihatan Negara. Sebagaimana disebut di dalam kenyataan saya sebelum ini, perbelanjaan kesihatan kerajaan sebanyak 2.2 peratus daripada KDNK pada 2008 adalah lebih rendah daripada cadangan WHO sebanyak 5 hingga 6 peratus. WHO juga menganggarkan bahawa 20 hingga 40 peratus perbelanjaan kesihatan kerajaan dibazirkan kerana ketidakcekapan termasuk rasuah.
Justeru memperkenalkan 1Care tanpa mengatasi ketidakcekapan ini hanya akan membuka ruang untuk meningkatkan rasuah yang membebankan sistem kesihatan negara. Coraknya sama seperti penswastaan pelbagai sektor sistem kesihatan negara sepanjang dua dekad ini yang sepatutnya meningkatkan kecekapan tetapi sebaliknya hanya meningkatkan ketirisan.
Ini termasuklah penswastaan Stor Perubatan Kerajaan, Hospital-Hospital University, Jabatan Kardiologi dan Perkhidmatan Sokongan Hospital yang telah membawa peningkatan kos yang tinggi tanpa meningkatkan kecekapan.
DR WAN AZIZAH WAN ISMAIL
PRESIDEN
PARTI KEADILAN RAKYAT
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Is 1Care roadshow only an afterthought?
We note the answer from Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai that the blueprint for the controversial 1Care health system will only be done in two years.
The Minister has also promised to launch a road show to explain and engage the public regarding the 1Care health system.
As mentioned in our earlier statement, we question the commitment of the Minister’s assurances with regards to his records vis-à-vis the Lynas controversy.
It is also surprising that the Minister is only talking about explaining and engaging with the public now, after 1Care has attracted a lot of opposition from the rakyat. Like other BN pronouncements such as the SBPA, it seems consultation is only an after-thought.
We have received complaints from doctors involved in previous consultations on 1Care that there was no true engagement and dialogue involved. The government is set to continue with 1Care.
We also hope the Minister will end his silence with regards to our suggestion for immediate measures to improve the country’s healthcare system. As mentioned in my earlier statement, our government expenditure at 2.2 percent for health as a percentage to GDP in Malaysia in 2008 is still lower than the WHO recommendation of 5 to 6 percent. WHO has also estimated that 20 to 40 percent of government expenditure in health is wasted on inefficiencies including corruption.
Thus introducing 1Care without overcoming the existing inefficiencies will increase the opportunity for corruption which would be truly tragic for the country’s health care system. This is similar to the privatisation of various sectors of the country’s healthcare system over the past two decades which were supposed to increase efficiency yet only resulted in more leakages.
This includes the privatisation of the Government Medical Store,University Hospitals, the Cardiology Department of the Kuala Lumpur Hospital and the Hospital Support Services which has substantially increased healthcare costs in the country without improving efficiency.
DR WAN AZIZAH WAN ISMAIL
PRESIDENT
PARTI KEADILAN RAKYAT