KUALA LUMPUR, July 25 — The Health Ministry (MOH) spent RM248.97 million to outsource 93,495 heart patients to Institut Jantung Negara Sdn Bhd (IJNSB) starting from January to May 31 this year alone.
Via a written answer in the Dewan Negara and uploaded on the Parliament’s website today, it said the treatment expenses involved heart patients from government employees, Federal pensioners, and also poor patients.
“For 2023, the total number of heart patient visits at IJNSB stands at 233,885, and the government’s expenditure on treatment costs is RM606.52 million,” said MOH.
It was responding to Senator Datuk Mustafa Musa’s query on the number of heart patients nationwide and the total cost of medicine, treatment, and specialist services for last year and this year.
In 2023, the ministry spent RM316 million to cover the cost of procurement of medicines required for the treatment of heart disease, while from January to June this year, it was RM130 million.
Based on case mix data, the MOH said the average cost of treatment for heart patients (inpatients) at MOH hospitals from 2017 to 2020 is as much as RM5,072.05 per patient, with a minimum cost of RM2,154.45 and a maximum cost of RM52,215.13.
Based on data from the Health Information Centre, the ministry said 259,259 heart patients received inpatient treatment at government hospitals nationwide in 2023, and another 641,590 patients received outpatient treatment, while 450,960 patients received treatment at health clinics.
Meanwhile, in response to Senator A. Lingeshwaran’s query on the number of nurses and community nurses who resigned or retired from 2014 to 2023, it said the numbers stood at 5,778 people.
This covers U29 Grade nurses (2,284 people), U32 Grade (2,102 people), Grade U36 (462 people), and Grade U41 to U54 (161 people).
For community nurses, it includes Grade U24 and U26 (393 people) and Grade U19 (376 people).
The Senate sitting was adjourned this afternoon and will resume on Monday (July 29).
— Bernama
