The Ministry of Health (MOH) is prepared to scrutinise the proposal to fix a benchmark for the prices of medicine and pharmaceutical supplies in the future.

Its minister, Dzulkefly Ahmad (photo), said the proposal must be given attention to ensure healthcare cost and expenditure paid by the people were not a burden.

‘’The proposal (of fixing the prices of medicine and pharmaceutical supplies) surely came from the parties responsible for ensuring the costs paid the people were logical.

‘’I will pay attention to the proposal,’’ he told reporters after launching a circumcision ceremony at the Nurul Iman Mosque in Ijok today.

He said this when commenting on the suggestions of insurance and takaful industry players for MOH to study the possibility of fixing a benchmark for the prices of medicine and pharmaceutical supplies seeing the increasing cost of healthcare.

The industry players said spendings on healthcare last year was RM60.147 billion with 52 percent is borne by the government, 35 per cent paid by the households themselves and the rest by private sector insurance (seven percent), corporation (four percent) and other agencies (two percent).

According to the industry players, if the cost of healthcare was not controlled, increases in medical insurance and health premiums would no longer be avoidable.- Bernama