KUALA LUMPUR, January 5 — Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin has vowed to advocate for a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) open hearing on escalating private hospital charges and medical insurance costs. The hearing would involve a public town hall session, inviting concerned citizens, private healthcare stakeholders, and insurance companies to contribute insights and address regulatory gaps in the sector.
Sim emphasized the need for a regulatory framework to curb excessive profiteering in private healthcare, citing cases of inflated billing for basic items like gloves and wheelchairs. He noted Bank Negara Malaysia’s findings of significant disparities in charges for insured versus self-paying patients, with medical inflation in Malaysia reaching 15% in 2024.
Experts, including Azrul Khalib of the Galen Centre, echoed calls for a regulatory body to ensure pricing transparency and fairness in private hospital billing practices.
