The article below is reprinted from the website of the Malaysian Socialist Party (PSM).
The government's full-paying patient (FPP) health care scheme has again come under fire from the Coalition Against Health Service Privatisation, which held simultaneous pickets on March 1 outside four public hospitals nationwide.
In the Klang Valley, pickets were held at the Serdang and Sungai Buloh hospitals.
Similar protests took place outside the Hospital Sultanah in Bahiyah Alor Setar, Kedah, and Hospital Sultan Ismail, in Pandan, Johor.
At the Sungai Buloh hospital, PSM Kota Damansara assemblyperson Dr Mohd Nasir Hasim led a protest to denounce the scheme the government began in 2007.
Nasir said the FPP scheme pilot project in Hospital Selayang has proven detrimental to doctors and patients.
"The specialists are keen on spending time and energy treating private patients and neglect their responsibility to other patients who pay less. Some specialists are paid more through their involvement in the FPP scheme."
After the picket, Mohd Nasir submitted a protest memorandum outlining the coalition's concerns and demands to hospital deputy-director Dr Aminnudin Tauhid.
Mohd Nasir said health minister Liow Tiong Lai failed to provide statistics to prove the benefits of the FPP scheme when quizzed on the matter.
"He just said that the specialists and the patients are satisfied and therefore the health ministry had decided to expand the program to other hospitals with specialists" he said.
Mohd Nasir said 70% of Malaysians depend on public hospitals that house only 25% of the country's specialist doctors. Many inexperienced doctors are forced to fill in the gap.
He asked the health ministry to not adopt the FPP scheme in other hospitals until a proper study was performed.
Mohd Nasir was accompanied by representatives of PSM, Jaringan Rakyat Tertindas (Jerit) and several municipal councillors.
The protest at Serdang hospital was led by PSM secretary-general S Arutchelvan. PSM Sungai Siput parliamentarian Dr D Michael Jeyakumar led 70 people to stage a protest at the Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital in Alor Setar, Kedah.
"We also want doctors to be paid well, but such privatisation is not the way to go as the people will suffer", Dr Michael explained.
In Sultan Ismail, Pandan Hospital in Johor, 50 protesters were led by PSM activist E Silvarajah.