29 Jul MOH Paid IJN Over RM606 Million For Civil Servants’ Heart Treatments In 2023

Published by CodeBlue

KUALA LUMPUR, July 29 — The Ministry of Health (MOH) covered over RM606 million in heart treatment costs at the National Heart Institute (IJN) for civil servants, pensioners, and those unable to afford care in 2023.

Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad revealed in a written Dewan Negara reply last Wednesday that IJN managed 233,885 heart patient visits last year, with the government covering RM606,525,046.06 in treatment costs.

“This expenditure covers heart patients from among government staff, federal retirees, and those unable to afford care,” Dzulkefly said in reply to Senator Mustafa Musa. For 2024, there have been 93,495 heart patient visits, costing RM248,971,483.60 as of May 31.

CodeBlue published in February a letter by an anonymous pensioner who complained about IJN discharging all civil servants and pensioners, including himself, in past months to their nearest MOH cardiac centre due to an MOH directive, purportedly as a government cost-cutting measure.

The pensioner – who had previously been under the care of IJN for 25 years – said the MOH cardiac centre that he was referred to told him they did not have the expertise to handle his case; nor did the MOH facility have a number of drugs that the pensioner was on. Using substitutes worried the patient due to his multiple drug allergies.

MOH, in a statement, later said that patients are discharged from IJN to MOH only when their conditions are stable. This includes a monitoring period of at least six months to one year for adults, and one to two years for children, after which these “stable” patients return to MOH hospitals for ongoing care under cardiology and cardiothoracic departments.

Data from the MOH’s Health Information Centre (PIK) shows that in 2023, there were 259,259 inpatient heart cases and 641,590 outpatient cases across MOH hospitals. Additionally, 450,960 patients received care at public health clinics.

Heart patients underwent 49,468 invasive cardiology procedures and 3,795 heart surgeries at MOH’s 10 heart centres that year. Data for 2024 is still being finalised, Dzulkefly said.

The average cost of inpatient heart treatment at MOH hospitals from 2017 to 2020 was RM5,072.05 per patient, ranging from RM2,154.45 to RM52,215.13.

In 2023, MOH spent RM316 million on heart medications, with RM130 million allocated for the same purpose between January and June 2024.