Ever wonder how life without money would be? I just recovered from a surgery required general anaesthesia. It was a 30minutes surgery and it did not involve sophisticated equipments or tools. I stayed in a private hospital for 2 nights. In total, with 2 weeks medication, it costs RM5000+. Fortunate enough, it was covered under insurance.
It triggered me to think what would happen to those people who did not have that amount of money. The only cheaper alternative is to seek medical help in government healthcare centers. The costs of seeking medical help in government funded clinics or hospitals are very reasonable. It costs only RM1-5 for consultation and medication.
The only set back is that the queeing time was too long. For example, I saw a patient who had acute cholecystitis, was planned for elective cholecystectomy only 2 months later. In other words, in these 2 months, inadvertently, he will suffer several episodes of pain and discomfort.
Another example is that when a man suspected to have intra-abdominal injury after an accident. The protocol to diagnosed intra-abdominal injury nowadays has been by using ultrasonography (FAST). This gentleman was only given the priority to be screen with ultrasonography 24 hours later.
In simple sense, in goverment settings, you get things done with long waiting & suffering period. Under the current circumstances where government's resources are limited, we cannot do anything but to accept the fact - you have money you get relieve fast, if you don't have money you have to suffer longer.
Healthcare insurance seems to be a luring option but it isn't cheap. A normal healthcare card will costs you RM1000+ per person annually. So, how could a family of 2-3 children whom total family income is RM10,000-15,000 afford such a plan?
However, I personally do not think there are no ways to improve the situation. First of all, the management of government clinics and hospitals has to improved significantly so that with limited resources, more things can be done in a shorter time. Secondly, shunting money into community preventive measures should be done so that less people will get chronic diseases and hence less burden to the healthcare system.
Apart from poor healthcare, the poor people, of course, will have a substandard lifestyle. The daily livings are so expensive nowadays.
When the government is saying that the poverty rate in Malaysia is dropping termendously each year, we see more poeple suffering. They have to come down to the ground so really what is happening.
Inflation in our country ranges from 4-6% this year but the poverty line sets at the same amount each year. So, in actual fact, the urban poverty line has increased termendously.
In conclusion, whilst the situation now looks bleak. However, with a opportunistic mind. Hopefully, we will have a better tomorrow.
P/S: Congrats! On the release of Raja Petra. Hopefully the judiciary system and police continue to improve the already 'rooten' integrity of Malaysia in the international arena.
Healthcare,
Lifestyle
