The Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia says its members are unable to fulfil insurers’ requests for ‘exorbitant’ discounts on patients’ bills.
The association said while its member hospitals had consistently provided “reasonable discounts to insurers, exorbitant discounts are not sustainable and will compromise the quality of care our patients expect to receive”.
“As private hospitals, our primary mission is to provide the best care for our patients.
“We strive to minimise delays that could affect patient outcomes while offering cutting-edge medical technology, expertise and services at a global standard.
“To maintain this level of care, APHM member hospitals reinvest profits annually into the latest technology and infrastructure, which we believe is vital to enhance patient treatment through less invasive procedures and improve survival rates,” said the association in a statement.
APHM president Kuljit Singh said even though the association’s member hospitals had been on the insurance panels for some time now, the discounts requested by insurers had increased greatly in the last 12 months or so.
“We always try our best to help the insurance companies.
“But the patient is our priority at the end of the day. We cannot cut corners to the point it becomes dangerous to the patient,” he said.
APHM said while patients could still seek treatment from delisted APHM member hospitals, they would have to pay their medical bills first and claim from their insurance provider later, as delisted hospitals would not get guarantee letters from insurers.
The association said it was currently engaged in discussions with the health ministry, Bank Negara Malaysia and the Public Accounts Committee to explore solutions to medical inflation.
