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Why is govt helping private hospitals?
Putrajaya tells MACC to buck up, agrees Teoh’s death avoidable
Utusan Malaysia says normal for corruption witnesses to commit suicide
Utusan defends MACC, holds DAP responsible for Teoh’s death
EU mulls observer group as EC ‘not credible’, say diplomats

Posted: 23 Jul 2011 04:18 PM PDT

(FMT) - KUALA LUMPUR: Local doctors have slammed a proposed government medical insurance plan which 'sought to profit' from the sick.

According to them since the government derived its revenue from all tax-payers "it must not seek to profit from its activities."

"The government must develop a system to protect the health of all, especially those unable to pay for their own needs," they said.

According to them hospitalisation cost accounts for the bulk of a country's medical expenditure.

Noting this, former Penang Medical Practitioners' Society (PMS) presidents Dr Ong Hean Teik and Dr Haniffah Abdul Gafoor said that in 2008, the government was responsible for 78% of total hospital beds in the country and accounted for 74% of total admissions.

"But the government spends only 44% of the total healthcare expenditure in the country.

"The private hospitals which see only 26% of total admissions however use up 56% of total healthcare spending," they said in a letter obtained by FMT.

Noting these details in the letter, which was jointly signed by their colleague, former president of the Malaysian Medical Association (Penang branch), the doctors said "under-funding and excessive work has led to unsatisfactory patient service in government hospitals, forcing patients to seek attention from private healthcare.

"If efficiency and service in the government hospitals improve, patients will not have to seek treatment from the expensive private sector.

"The government must improve service in their hospitals.

"If government hospitals can cater effectively to patient needs, the private hospitals will be forced to lower prices to compete and attract patients, as has happened in Singapore," they said.

Escalating cost of private care

They argued that a national healthcare financing scheme that increased investment in public hospitals will thus automatically lead to a lowering of fees in the private hospitals thus greatly reducing total healthcare spending for the whole country.

To seriously reduce national healthcare spending, the government must develop a financing scheme to increase public hospital investment and improve its service, they said.

"How can the setting up of a private corporation to act as an insurance company cum MCO (Managed Care Organisation) reduce overall health spending?

"Have not hospital bills in the private sector escalated with increasing health insurance and middle-man MCOs?

Posted: 23 Jul 2011 04:15 PM PDT

By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, July 24 — Putrajaya has acknowledged that former DAP aide Teoh Beng Hock would not have died if the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) had followed proper investigation procedures.

As such, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz told the graft-busting agency to save itself from further disgrace by implementing the recommendations made in the Royal Commission of Inquiry's (RCI) report on the youth's death.

In an exclusive interview with Utusan Malaysia and published verbatim in the daily's Sunday edition Mingguan Malaysia today, the de facto law minister said MACC must accept the RCI's findings and not deny that there are weaknesses in its techniques.

"The death would not have happened if the investigation was carried out according to prescribed procedures and satisfactory standards. When something like this has happened, we must accept the fact that there are things that must be done," he said.

"I would also like to remind that we must admit to these weaknesses, do not deny it. It is not that I do not want to defend these (MACC) officers but I believe, and I know, that some things have happened.

"Based on the (RCI) report that we have read, it clearly shows that the investigation was carried out continuously. MACC must correct itself," added Nazri.

The Padang Rengas MP also declared Teoh's case as closed, saying that there was no need to form another RCI because the youth's family and the opposition had rejected the suicide conclusion in the report.

He however added that although the MACC needs to revamp itself, the RCI had absolved it of murder charges and this should not be questioned further.

"I find that the truth has been revealed and it has been proven that the MACC did not kill Teoh. This is clear and MACC has been freed from the charge. Despite what has happened, I am confident that the people will continue to support the MACC," he said.

Nazri (picture) also denied that the RCI report had been made public due to public pressure, pointing out that he had prepared a memorandum on July 1 to ensure that that the report is released in full.

He also agreed with accusations against opposition party members like Lim Kit Siang, Gobind Singh Deo and Karpal Singh that Teoh's death had been heavily politicised.

Posted: 23 Jul 2011 02:51 PM PDT

By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, July 24 — Utusan Malaysia today downplayed the cause of Teoh Beng Hock's death, saying that it is common for witnesses in corruption cases to commit suicide to avoid shaming their families or organisation.

"Awang does not understand it has been made such a major issue whether a person commits suicide during or after interrogation," Awang Selamat wrote today in Mingguan Malaysia, the Malay daily's Sunday edition. "In many other countries, the act of sacrificing oneself is not something alien to a corruption case."

Awang Selamat is a pseudonym under which editors of Utusan Malaysia write.

Teoh was found dead on July 16, 2009, on the fifth-floor corridor of Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam after he was questioned overnight by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers at their then-Selangor headquarters on the 14th floor.

The Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) report on Teoh's death ruled that the former DAP aide had committed suicide as a result of "aggressive, relentless, oppressive and unscrupulous interrogation" by MACC officers.

Despite the suicide conclusion, Teoh's family members and opposition leaders are holding the MACC responsible for the youth's death, saying that forced suicide amounts to homicide.

To illustrate how suicide is common in corruption cases, Awang cited the example of how several civil servants in China were reported to have killed themselves last year out of depression. Many, he said, were linked to corruption scandals.

In another example, Awang related how the key witness in the corruption trial of the wife of former Taiwan president Chen Sui Bian had attempted suicide barely hours after she testified in December 2008.

In Japan, he wrote, several senior public servants and LDP party members took their lives during the investigation of a high-profile corruption scandal in 1989.

In the Philippines, former army chief General (rtd) Angelo Reyes committed suicide during the investigation on the misappropriation of army funds, said Awang.

"There are many more cases of those committing suicide or attempting to commit suicide when their deeds are exposed or are being investigated by graft busters or the police," he said.

"What more when it involves a cartel, when the situation is even more complex. Although most of these other cases do not involve death in the premises of the authorities, the issue is the same — the accused or witness is embarrassed, stressed and depressed enough to find their own escape route."

In a possible reference to Teoh, Awang said that there were also many cases of those who were prepared to take their lives to avoid betraying their bosses or their organisations.

Teoh was called in for questioning by the MACC as the commission had reportedly wanted to pressure him into becoming a witness in their case against his boss, Seri Kembangan assemblyman Ean Yong Hian Wah, for alleged abuse of public funds.

Posted: 23 Jul 2011 12:36 PM PDT

By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, July 24 — Utusan Malaysia expressed sympathy for the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for bearing the brunt of the blame for Teoh Beng Hock's death, saying today it was DAP and its adviser Lim Kit Siang who should be held responsible.

The Umno-owned daily's editors, writing under the pseudonym Awang Selamat, accused the opposition party of tricking Malaysians into forgetting the corruption allegation against its leaders by drawing focus to Teoh's death.

"Malaysians have been dragged too deep into this issue (Teoh's death) until we have strayed from the actual path. The real issue — corruption — has been buried.

"This is DAP's success... all this time, their actual intention is to hide the many shortcomings of its leaders in this case," Awang said in Mingguan Malaysia, the Malay daily's Sunday paper.

Awang added that if the just-released Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) report on Teoh's death is studied carefully, it could be surmised that there were elements of cronyism, corruption and financial manipulation in the case.

As such, Awang said that DAP should be held responsible for Teoh's death as through his death, the youth had helped the party save its image from being further tarnished.

"Awang agrees with the view from several parties that DAP should be held responsible. Its key leader Lim Kit Siang should apologise to all Malaysians, the government, the MACC and Teoh's family.

"Awang hope that no one will question the cause of Teoh's death again, or even worse, continue to use it as a political tool," he wrote.

Awang also urged MACC officers not to lose morale in their jobs and encouraging them to proceed with their "noble roles".

"There is no need to be shaky if there are contents in the report that seem unpleasant and do not reflect reality.

"Awang understands that the interrogation process is not easy," he said.

The RCI report, which was released on Thursday, ruled that the former DAP aide had committed suicide as a result of "aggressive, relentless, oppressive and unscrupulous interrogation" by MACC officers, particularly the then deputy director for Selangor MACC Hishammuddin Hashim and enforcement officers Arman Alies and Mohd Ashraf Mohd Yunus.

The officers, described in the RCI as "Arman the bully, Ashraf the abuser and HH the arrogant leader", had wanted to pressure Teoh into becoming a witness in their case against his boss, Seri Kembangan assemblyman Ean Yong Hian Wah, for alleged abuse of public funds.

Posted: 23 Jul 2011 09:28 AM PDT

By Jahabar Siddiq, Editor, The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, July 24 — Despite Putrajaya's strident defence of the Election Commission (EC), European Union (EU) diplomats are looking into proposals to send observer groups for the next general election as they found the commission "not credible" after a recent briefing here.

Several diplomats told The Malaysian Insider that EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof's briefing weeks before the Bersih rally on July 9 did not convince them of the commission's neutrality as he kept referring to being part of the government.

"They are not credible. Abdul Aziz kept repeating 'us' and 'we in the government' during the briefing," a European diplomat told The Malaysian Insider.

Abdul Aziz was the secretary-general of the Home Ministry before his appointment as the EC chairman on December 31, 2008, after his extension contract ended.

A diplomat from another European nation confirmed the briefing and their conclusions.

"It is sensitive but we are thinking of recommending observer groups to watch the next general election," he said, recalling that the Commonwealth Observer Mission had observed the 1990 general elections.

The ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) government has kept out international election watch groups since then and had refused to make public the report from the Commonwealth Observer Mission. Several local election watch groups have sprouted but receive minimal cooperation from the EC.

An EU diplomat said they had also met with Bersih 2.0 leaders to get a briefing on their eight-point demands calling for free and fair elections that culminated with a rally on July 9 that was dispersed by riot police despite locking down the capital city.

"We had a briefing from Bersih 2.0 chair Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan about their cause," he said, declining to give specific details of the meeting.

Bersih 2.0 estimated up to 50,000 people turned up at the rally after the Najib administration reneged on a promise for a stadium but city police say only 6,000 people made it through the barricades. Nearly 1,700 were arrested while scores were injured and one man died of a heart attack in the rally.

The government had also outlawed Bersih 2.0, a coalition of 62 organisations, saying that it had not registered the movement. The movement's illegal status was also cited as a reason for not getting a stadium booking or a police permit for a gathering.

Despite that, Bersih 2.0 has called its supporters and the public to wear something yellow every Saturday until the government looks into and implements its eight demands. The EC had said it was willing to discuss the points if Bersih dropped its plans for a rally.

READ MORE HERE.

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

Ahad, 24 Julai 2011

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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