I just go back from watching the movie-cum-documentary Sicko made by Michael Moore. In terms of Michael Moore movie, it is not that great, comparing to all his previous production. Like typical Michael Moore production, the way he presented his issue was entertaining, in a humorous way yet keeping the issue serious. However, for me, Bowling for Columbine was the best among all of his production so far. If I were a real film critic, probably I would give 7.5 out of 10 (as contrast to 9 for Bowling for Columbine).
Now back to the real deal on this matter. Recently, the government of Malaysia released a press statement related to our government hospital. (July 27, 2007, “Hospital Putrajaya, Selayang laksana konsep bayaran penuh 1 Ogos”). Apparently, our government hospital also being turned into private hospital? This is sad, knowing rakyat will have to pay even when they are visiting the government hospital. I remember about 5 years ago one of my friend was involved in an accident, in Shah Alam. Apparently, Shah Alam, a bandaraya (big city) of the most developed and richest state in Malaysia, does not have a government owned hospital. ( I was told, before they declared Shah Alam as a city, they had to build a gigantic court house, then the Shah Alam will get the title. Isn’t it better if they build a hospital? ). Oh wait a minute, Shah Alam do have a hospital, Selangor Medical Center, a private hospital located ‘conveniently’ next to a low cost housing area. Using common sense, she was sent there. As she got admitter, I still remember what the first question the nurse or maybe the doctor asked. No, not that normal people with heart and humanity “Are you alright?” or maybe “Do you feel any pain anywhere?” kind of question. They asked, “How are you going to pay the bill? Do you have insurance?” What kind of heartless person would ask that question when someone is in pain???!!!
Another sad thing occurred to me personally, was when I was driving down the road, at Shah Alam too when there was an accident occurred just in front of me. A pizza delivery guy got involved in an accident, and it was pretty bad. Let make the story short, I had to call the ambulance. It took them 30 minutes to get there. Not to forget, the police arrived at the scene just about the same time as the ambulance did. They had to dispatch the ambulance from the nearest government hospital, in Klang. And now, rather than improving the government hospital like make it easily accessible to the rakyat, the government will start asking for people to pay for it.
One reason they said is that it will improve the service and keep the specialist from running away to the private hospital. Oh come on. Who own all these private hospitals? I guess even if you were to be sent to the government hospital, they will ask the same heartless question as what the private hospitals been asking. Not to mention, even now, rakyat yg susah has been asking for donation from the public to cure their serious illness. Even when the government had created the fund for these people, we still see people hoping the public to help ease their burden. I wonder, what had happened to the fund as nobody talks about it anymore.
I wonder what had happened to our tax money. Of course, the built the highways. But wait, we still have to pay Toll, even on the road that used to be federal highway. Now they are asking us to pay for hospital. Where have gone all the tax money? Where do they go? Not to forget, Petronas Money too! We have belanjawan every year, where PM presents the budget for next year. But do they really spend the money just like they stated? I’m pretty sure rakyat would like to know what they had spent the tax money. And please, try and fit somewhere the justification of where did the money to buy the new government aircraft came from.
My sister went to England with here husband to further her study, when she had her first child. The hospital service there was even better than in Malaysia and she had to pay nothing. See, there’s a country where you could get everything for 1 ringgit, even cheaper. And they are ranked better than Malaysia in the World Health Organization ranking. Check out Cuba, they are ranked better too, yet medical is free there. Malaysia hasn’t become a country where someone could be denied from having access to the necessary medical attention. But if we see the pattern here, the country is inclining towards it.
These people, who decides how the health system in Malaysia, don’t even go to government hospital for medical treatment. They have all the money, (god knows where they came from) to get medical attention at private hospitals, and even better, overseas private hospital. Yet rakyat is being left, begging for money to fund surgery, at government hospitals, which they paid to be built using the tax money, and get at best, par service.
Disclaimer: Rather than thinking so hard to bash my post, might as well you put your half dead brain and think about how to solve this health problem, think about how you should present where the tax money had gone. Government should be scared when this question being asked, not rakyat that should be afraid to ask this kind of question. If you have answer, then that’s good.
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