SEPTEMBER, 2019 | The HEALTH
HIGHLIGHT
Connecting
great minds for
better healthcare
The public university
hospitals that make up
KHUAM.
Th e Consortium of Malaysian Public University Hospitals
paves the way for better healthcare and education
T
HE Malaysian healthcare has
been recognised to be one of
the best in the world, due to
high accessibility of Malaysians
in getting public healthcare
services. Th e privilege, however,
falls mostly on the infrastructure and system
laid down by a century of governmental
management of healthcare. Each and every
public hospital and clinic in the country are
governed by the same authority - the Minis-
try of Health, hence the integration of system
and data being effi cient enough.
The same cannot be said between the
public university hospitals in the country.
Th ese hospitals are essentially healthcare
providers that are tied under the Malaysian
Ministry of Education. Th is is why there is
a lack of communication and integration
between themselves as well as with Ministry
og Health hospitals.
“We essentially worked in silos. We were
not effi ciently integrating or sharing our data
with other university hospitals, nor with
Ministry of Health hospitals,” a statement
made by Prof Dr Abdul Halim Abdul Gafor,
Deputy Director (Medical Services) and
Consultant Nephrologist at Hospital Can-
selor Tuanku Muhriz Universiti Kebangsaan
Malaysia (HCTM UKM).
The barrier blocking the way to
better healthcare
Here in lies the issue at hand. Unlike the
numerous public hospitals that answersto
one authoritative body - the Ministry of
Health, the public university hospitals do not
report to anyone but to their own respective
universities. And because the university does
not just manage the faculty of medicine and
the hospital, the needs of the hospital may
not be fulfi lled effi ciently.
Another issue arises when it comes to
standards and policies.
“Because we are not attached to the Min-
istry of Health, any decision made regarding
healthcare in Malaysia does not trickle down
to us directly. We have made ourselves to look
like a private hospital rather than a public
university hospital.
“Because of this, we felt the need to talk
to each other, there needs to be a more cohe-
sive communication between the university
hospitals so that we can help each other
We essentially
worked in
silos. We were
not effi ciently
integrating
or sharing
our data
with other
university
hospitals, nor
with public
hospitals.”
– Prof Dr Abdul
Halim Abdul
Gafor
17
out in providing the best healthcare to our
patients,” Dr Halim explains.
The partnership
Th e public university hospitals were adamant
to unite, to have a consortium that would act
as a platform for discussion and sharing of
knowledge. Th ey have done just that in June
2017, where six public university hospitals
have formed the Consortium of Malaysian
Public University Hospitals (KHUAM) by
signing a memorandum of agreement.
“With the creation of KHUAM, we have
created a platform for us to discuss our issues,
be it in clinical practices or education, and
have better resources in solving them. Th e
group also act as a stronger voice in bringing
forward issues to the related authorities and
get support from public healthcare.”
Th e other issue that they want to solve
by having KHUAM is the perception of the
public towards them.
“We want people to understand that
we are a tertiary centre and not a primary
care centre, and that we may specialise in
certain treatments of diseases rather than
providing primary care to our patients. But
of course, we will provide care for cough and
cold whenever patients come in with them,”
says Dr Halim.
As of now, KHUAM consists of public
university hospitals that includes University
Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), University
of Science Malaysia Hospital (HUSM),
International Islamic University of Malaysia
Medical Centre (IIUMMC), MARA University
of Technology Teaching Hospital (HPUiTM,
currently operating in Sungai Buloh Hos-
pital), University Putra Malaysia Teaching
Hospital (HPUPM), and HCTM UKM.
What have been done so far
“Several changes have been done since the
formation of KHUAM. For one, we have
succeeded in standardising the prices for
treatments available across the public uni-
versity hospitals. Moreover, we are working
towards better procurement of drugs and
medication. We are pooling the procurement
and buy them in bulk so that we can negotiate
better prices for the medications, and there-
fore can off er better prices of treatments to
our patients,” states Dr Halim. — Th e Health
UNITED EFFORT: Prof Dr Halim
explains that KHUAM has enabled public
university hospitals to be more united in
solving their issues and provide a stronger
voice to the authorities.