Friday, March 30, 2012

THE BUSINESS OF MEDICINE IN MALAYSIA. 1CARE, WHAT NOW.

I happen to bump into the minister of Health on Weds night. He pulled me aside and asked if we would stop the TakNak1Care campaign, as he has heard whatever we are saying. He has assured me ( would you believe him ), that the 1Care for 1Malaysia is off and that they are back to the drawing board to re-study healthcare restructuring. In fact YB MOH propose that we should meet up and discuss this issue of healthcare restructuring.
In line with this, it is true that when we met with DG MOH and team on 26th March evening, they took great pains to avoid the term 1Care and kept to the term healthcare transformation. On the Monday ( 26th March ) MOH meeting, we spend much time discussing integrating the private GPs with the government overloaded outpatient department. That is surely a step in the right direction. This Saturday's MOH public forum, is on Healthcare accessibility, to be launched by YB MOH.
They ( Minister and MOH ) are both singing from the right songsheet now. The problem is that it is election time and we do not trust them. We wonder whether it is just electioneering? When I inform the president of FPMPAM ( Dr Steven Chow ), he also did not believe the news that 1Care is off. He wanted the Minister to publicly announce it.
As a follow-up, the MOH has contacted FPMPAM yesterday, to form a committee to look into Public outpatient and private GP integration. Would you believe it?
I do not know what to think. My mother taught me along time ago, that when something is too good to be true, it usually is, too good to be true.
I suppose, I shall await a public announcement by YB Minister of MOH, try and set up a meeting between FPMPAM and YB MOH, and also encourage the FPMPAM to form the committee to work with MOH on GP / Public outpatient department integration.
I can't help but feel that this is just electioneering. Am I being too suspicious? What are we to think?

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