Saving costs instead of lives

By: By Llew-Ann Phang (Dec 12, 2010) 

PETALING JAYA (Dec 12, 2010): Budgetary issues are the biggest stumbling block to saving lives.

During housemanship at government hospitals, doctors are repeatedly told that they have to be careful with money and save costs, rather than lives.

Because of this, doctors have to stinge on life-saving treatment sometimes, claim doctors who spoke to theSun on condition of anonymity.

“Even oncologists may not prescribe drugs that could reduce the size of cancerous tumours (due to the cost factor),” said a government physician.

If an oncologist prescribes drugs such Herceptin (for breast cancer treatment) and Avastin (for colon cancer) – which are often acquired at exorbitant costs – patients would have to fork out their life-savings to to pay for the treatment.

Often, civil servants are found emptying their pockets, re-mortgaging their houses and breaking their backs to front up money for cancer treatment before they are reimbursed by the Public Services Department (PSD) -- months later.

Often, oncologists who stay long enough in government hospitals find themselves following bureaucracy and wasting a lot of time trying to obtain aid for patients who cannot afford medication.

“We are wasting a lot of time going through forms and answering telephone calls asking if we have drugs, and writing to charities,” said one doctor.

Chemotherapy, which costs between RM4,000 and RM5,000 for a  three-week course of treatment with older drugs, can cost up to RM25,000 with new medicines.

 “There are a handful of drugs that increase the chance of survival of cancel patients but at the moment patients do not have access to them.

“While we are on track to achieving the developed nation status where infrastructure is concerned, we are doing very poorly in the health department, even on the doctor-to-patient ratio,” lamented a semi-government hospital source.

There are only 60 oncologists in Malaysia serving an ever-increasing number of cancer patients.

The National Cancer Registry recorded 21,773 individuals at the last count but medical practitioners believe the real figures are close to double the number.

“The allocations for health run out very quickly and there is no ready access to money, especially for patients who are in dire need of medication.

“People are reluctant to ask. We don’t have strong lobby groups to push for money because most people are afraid to speak up,” said one doctor.

Practitioners say political will is need for the ministry to take a more “creative” approach to help both patients and the medical fraternity.

“Where patients are concerned, an independent body can be set up to assess patients' financial background so that they can pay whatever they can afford, thus freeing up money for patients who really are in need of a chance to have a longer life,” said the doctor.

Met recently, Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said healthcare accounts for RM11 billion of the annual budget but admitted that at times red tape takes over from common sense.

“My stand has always been 'do anything to save a life',” Liow said, adding that he is looking into the problem. -- theSun