RISING drug prices have caused many to seek treatment at government clinics instead of private clinics, said Deputy Health Minister Dr Hilmi Yahaya.

He said about six million people might have made the switch to public healthcare.

However, the government does not propose to regulate drug prices in the private clinic.

“We have no plans to regulate the price (of drugs) because that is a many-layered process that involves the importers to wholesalers, distributors and retailers,” he said at the Dewan Rakyat today.

Hilmi said the Health Ministry is seeking a long-term solution, which is the implementation of a national health insurance scheme.

“The Cabinet has approved voluntary health insurance and it is a grand design. If it succeeds, we will move towards national health insurance scheme.”

Hilmi was responding to Tumpat MP Kamarudin Jaffar, who brought up the fact that 500 clinics run by general practitioners closed down from 2014 to 2016.

Hilmi said the clinics could have shut down for many reasons, including bad management and financial issues.

“The record from 2014 to 2016 shows the clinics shut down for various reasons; 53.3% moved to other premises; 5.6% was due to management issues; 2.8% to economic issues; and 5.6% to infrastructure issues. – August 9, 2017.