A very pertinent health issue is on the minds of Malaysians nowadays. Is the splendid public health care services of the country going to be corporatised?
Many are worried of such implication, especially on the future cost of health services in government hospitals and clinics. The furore is justified. In fact, it adds credence to the fact that our public health care service is good.
Thousands of citizens of this country benefit from it day in day out. And thankfully, the service keeps getting better. Therefore it is not surprising that Malaysians are not willing to let it go.
The only setback of the present public health system is probably the test of patience one has to endure in the waiting rooms. If one passes that, then the consultation, treatment and medication provided will surely leave one convinced that they are worth the wait.
In any case, who says waiting to get treatment is only limited to government health facilities. Soliciting services from private clinics and hospitals too entails pumping those extra micrograms of adrenaline!
Frankly, one cannot deny the fact that the public health service in this country has improved tremendously.
Despite the lack in numbers, the Malaysia’s Ministry of Health personnel especially the doctors, pharmacists, dentists, engineers, administrators, nurses, medical assistants and other paramedics make up for it in terms of grit and spirit.
Many hospital administrators take great pains in implementing the latest management tools to enhance customer satisfaction. Corporatisation of hospital support services too, has thus far been rather successful.
A cursory look at the level of cleanliness of government hospitals and clinics today indicate that this has improved. Gone are the smelly toilets and unkept compounds. Both patients and visitors have benefitted from these.
Naturally the fate of the public health care service is a major concern for all. But what is more worrying really is the state of mind of some segments of the Malaysian society.
It seems that they are entrapped in the notion that health equals the management of diseases. They all concede that sickness is the unavoidable and ultimate consequence of life.
Sadly this entrapment seems to be perpetual. Thus we wish to make absolutely sure that when we matter-of-factly succumb to one sickness or another, we can at the least turn to the public health care service.
The general feeling is that corporatised health care means patients will have to dig deeper into their pockets.
But should we keep on clamouring for a cheap health service, pretending that despite the spiraling cost of medicines and equipment and the training of medical personnel, the fee for the public health service must remain static?
Rather than being drawn into the polemic of the corporatisation of the health care service, why not look at the issue via a lateral thinking approach.
Thus, for those who prefer unconventionalities, it is time to re-focus on what the role of healthcare should really be, that is, the attainment of wellness rather than treatment of illness.
This incidentally is the gist of a new book entitled ‘The Art of Total Wellness’ written by Dr. Nordin Darus, whom many would equate to sports science in this country.
The author’s proposition is that
A quotation from the book reads, “the old idea of health was being free from disease and disability. It is outdated. The advent of new and improved drugs and sophisticated diagnostic and investigative techniques and the increasingly exorbitant cost of healthcare has forced us to reassess our idea of health. It is no longer enough to be “free form disease and disability. We want to be and stay well. More so in a world where telemedicine, that is, the use of digital multimedia workstations as a diagnostic and treatment tool, is now a reality. But the underlying danger is complacency, in that people will expect a cure for any disease or ailment affecting them and in doing so may all too easily adopt unhealthy lifestyles.
One of the paradoxes of modern medicine is that much of what can be done to cure diseases, rather than ameliorate their symptoms, only applies to certain conditions.
As a result, there is now a move towards seeking treatment via alternative or complementary medicine, with the hope that it will provide the cure that conventional medicine currently cannot promise with conviction.
Parallel to the complementary medicine movement, there has been a general shift in medical perceptions towards the idea that preventive medicine is the most effective medicine of all.
Over time, the concept of preventive medicine has been broadened to encompass not only specific prophylaxes against diseases, but all the inter-related measures that can prolong human life and keep it disease-free.
As many of these measures entail choices by people about the way they lead their lives, this broader prevention of diseases is referred to as the ‘lifestyle’ approach.
The book was launched last week by Tan Sri Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid, the chairman of this institute.
In a similar vein, in a lighter vein
Call it whatever you like, predictive, promotive, preventive or even avertive medicine, they are the new kids on the block who are here to stay. They are expected to dominate the coming century.
True to the say, health is wealth.