00:00Low-income patients should be protected from financial hardship when the National Heart Institute raises its fees by 10% to 40% on patients outsourced to it by the health ministry, says an academic.
00:16Mark Cheong, a senior lecturer at Monash University's School of Pharmacy, said fee increases may cause life-saving treatments to be unaffordable for some low-income patients.
00:29Cheong said higher out-of-pocket payments should not become a barrier to receiving care.
00:35Last week, IGN chief executive Dr. Ezani Taib said the hospital is seeking a 10% to 40% fee increase on patients outsourced to it by the health ministry, as costs have risen since the fee structure was set over 20 years ago.
00:51Meanwhile, Galen Center CEO Azrul Kalip said the proposed IGN fee increase was overdue.
00:58However, he said it might result in a higher number of eligible low-income patients needing subsidies.
01:05As IGN is set up as a private limited company, it must earn revenue and manage its operations without depending on public funds, he said.
