Florence Nightingales don’t exist anymore. So now you know why every year, medical seats seem to be in high demand among students. The “desire” to help people is crap. The truth is, it’s all for $$$.

In conclusion, we’re simply reaping the results of our own sowing.

You need to ascertain what is unreasonable first. Because what is unreasonable to you may be reasonable to others. That’s why there is a Schedule of Fees for the hospitals to follow. You also need to do a comparison with other private hospitals to see what their charges are for the same services to determine if Assunta is really overcharging. I’m not defending Assunta, on the contrary, I feel that Assunta is not all that cheap either, compared to other hospitals. But what I’m stating is, be fair when you comment.

When you are sick, the last thing you want to be is sicker by looking at an overinflated bill. Most people will check their bills first before paying. Unless they are covered by insurance, in which case, the insurance company will query the hospital for every single item on the bill.

Finally, ethics is something the industry discusses all the time, year after year. The problem is, it is a neverending discussion and what is ethical for you may not be for others. No solution in sight.

NB: While the medical industry is regulated by a Schedule of Fees, bear in mind the legal industry isn’t and lawyers can charge you anything they want under the sun and you have no recourse nor protection from it. Which is more a more important service? Saving lives or legal action? Think about it.

To me one must be ethical, especially for a hospital who must give confidence for the patient instead of indulging in unreasonable charges and unethical practices.

Having medical insurance is better than not having if you want access to private healthcare services. Contrary to what you suggest, if done at the right time and through an experienced agent, the many plans available can be affordable to most people. And depending on what plan you purchase, you are covered for your entire lifetime.

It is unfortunate one of your relatives got charged so much but you need to know that private hospitals have to charge according to the latest Schedule of Fees as laid out by the Malaysian Medical Association and they cannot charge more than what is allowed. In fact, a lot of private hospitals charge anywhere from 10 to 20% below what is stipulated. Private hospitals are also requested to provide emergency services first before asking for a deposit, which is what Assunta did. Please read the following excerpt:

“Local News: Private hospitals are reminded that they must provide immediate emergency treatment
Posted by: Lenny on Monday, April 10, 2006 - 04:47 PM

Kuala Lumpur - Private hospitals in the country are reminded that they must provide immediate emergency treatment to patients without waiting for deposit payment.

Health Minister, Datuk Dr. Chua Soi Lek said, they should also communicate with te patients and their relatives during the emergency treatment.

Datuk Chua said, these aspects will be stressed in the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998 (PHFA) which will be enforced from May 1.

On the question of hospital fees, Datuk Chua said, the payment to private hospitals came under the “schedule fees” agreed to by the Malaysian Medical Hospital (MMA).

The disparity in hospital fees between hospitals would be resolved when the new act was enforced which would empower the Health Ministry’s Director General and the minister to alter the “schedule fees” if they were unrealistic.

The minister will also be empowered to decide o­n the nature of social contribution by the private hospitals.”

Please take note that this was announced last year.

And your comment that private hospitals are making millions, year after year is somewhat suspect. I’m not sure if they are all making so much money but the ones I’m familiar with are very likely to be just breaking even. Hospitals rarely make any money because of high overheads and cost of equipment, mainly done to attract the top specialists to consult at the hospital. It is the doctors who are making the big bucks. So if you want your fees reduced, please ask them for a discount.

Finally, the government has not failed to provide such services as emergency services are still very much available to everyone. And at an incredibly affordable price. Don’t believe me? Try calling for an ambulance and try out the system. You may not be too satisfied with the service but it is there for you should you need it.

Health services, being one of the most essential services around (life is at stake), must not be too commercialized, or need to be regulated further (especially regarding their charges). One of the reasons why premiums for health insurance is expensive, as I have been told, is unscrupulous charging by some private hospital. A relative on mine told me that she was charged >RM250 for a doctor visit to check on her heartbeat during one of her stay in a private hospital.

The reason why we need a government is for them to take care of such services (healthcare, utilities, transportation). To provide such services at a price affordable to all, you definitely can’t make money. Yet, we see companies providing such services making millions after millions, years after years. Hospital charges aside, Mdm Yek’s incident has definitely shows the shortcomings of our healthcare system. Some commentators compared our system to that of S’pore and the US. I think the authority concerned, MOH especially, should really look into these. Failure to provide such services, at a price affordable to all, after collecting taxes from the people would definitely not wrong to be construed as failing the people.

In a more capitalistic system such as the U.S. some 45 million do not have health insurance and are not covered. It is either not made available to them by their employer or made available but too expensive for them to pay the premiums. Many do not have coverage because they are either unemployed or do not have permanent employment.

However, that has nothing to do with treatment at hospitals. They are never turned down because they cannot afford the cost of medical treatment. There are charities working closely with the hospitals ready to offer whatever financial help is needed to pay for the cost of the medical treatment. The Out-Patient clinic of the hospital would only ask you if you have health insurance, and if you do not you still get to see the doctor and receive medical treatment.

Over time I have had experiences with SJMC, Assunta, Selangor MC (Shah Alam), KLGH, UMMC, Mt.E in Spore, yet another in another ASEAN country, plus many more visits to consultants in their private practices, and have expended, let’s just say in aggregate, multiples of 6 figures. Yes, it is VERY expensive, enough to wipe out the family reserves. It must be cautioned that even with medical insurance, especially the more affordable/less costly plans, one needs to worry about the Schedule whether your coverage is wide enough should some unfortunate event strike.

In my opinion, there is no other way except for Government leadership and direction in this matter of public health. No compromise. The government cannot walk away on this one. In my further opinion, the medical sector must NEVER be driven by the private sector. Even though the private medical sector has been by now already entrenched in their “business” of running private hospitals, I still say the Government cannot afford to avoid or be lax in its responsibility to the Rakyat, to ensure that mechanisms exist that no one is turned away or sent off a private hospital on grounds of no upfront cash deposit or credit card imprint.

If this government cannot think of a way to manage emergency health-care services, then it is doesnt deserve the job of governing, even if there are (arguable) successes in other areas.

No one “dies” before his or her time. When the soul is ready to release the body, when it has accomplished what it came here to do, it moves on. There is always a reason. To realize that each soul is making these decisions is a beautiful, healing and freeing experience.

No man or woman consciously knows for sure which day will be the last for him or her in this particular life, that each calls the present one. Mortality with its birth and death is the framework in which the soul, for now, is expressed in flesh. It seems, perhaps, easier to have no conscious idea of the year or time that death might occur. Unconsciously of course each man and woman knows, and yet hides the knowledge.
The knowledge is usually hidden for many reasons, but the fact of death, personal death, is never forgotten. It seems obvious, but the full enjoyment of life would be impossible in the framework, now, of earthly reality without the knowledge of death.
Life and death are but two faces of your eternal, ever changing existence, however feel and appreciate the joy of your own being.
Always remember, whether you die today or tomorrow, you have lived before, and will again, and your new life, in your terms, springs out of the old, and is growing in the old and contained within it as the seed is already contained within the flower.
Remember life implies death, and death implies life.
Death is therefore as creative as birth, as necessary for action and consciousness, in your terms. Rest assures that death is another beginning. You had lived before and will live again.
For a “money or your life” account of this reality, goto

http://powerpresent.blogspot.com/2007/05/more-pics-video-woman-driver-refusing.html

Public Hospitals on the other hand aren’t much better, I remember my grandmother being discharged from UH without a stable heart beat !! . . . We then moved her to Assunta being the most affordable private hospital where she finally recovered.

My point being, Assunta may have not taken the best steps in the given situation, but in my opinion it’s better than any other hospital in this country would have.