THE HEALTH | SEPTEMBER , 2022

IHH HEALTHCARE BHD ’ S deal with Sime Darby Bhd and Ramsay Health Care Ltd to acquire Ramsay Sime Darby Health Care ( RSDHC ) for RM5.67 billion has fallen apart .

In March this year , IHH submitted a confidential , conditional , non-binding , indicative proposal to Australian multinational healthcare provider Ramsay Health Care and Malaysian trading conglomerate Sime Darby for the acquisition .

RSDHC is a 50:50 joint venture ( JV ) between Sime Darby and Ramsay Health Care .

The discussions were preliminary , and no agreement had yet been reached but on Sept 9 , 2022 IHH announced to Bursa Malaysia that discussions had concluded without resulting in a binding agreement . No reasons were given .

In a separate filing to the stock exchange , Sime Darby also made a similar announcement , adding that it believes in the inherent value of its JV with Ramsay and the awardwinning hospitals led by strong leadership with a commitment to

HEALTH MINISTER Khairy Jamaluddin said Sarawak must be the centrepiece of the Health White Paper ( HWP ) to ensure that accessibility is improved .

He said this was the reason he decided to have a town hall meeting in Sarawak as his first stop to hear from people working in the healthcare industry .

“ It is not just Sarawak , it is Sabah , it is all your rural interior areas , and that is the challenge . If we can get it right for the rural interior areas , then this White Paper has succeeded in ensuring that accessibility and equity are something that we have taken care of .

“ I assure you this is not a public relations session . This is a session for us to shape the direction of the White Paper correctly to resonate with what is being raised on the ground ,” he said in his conclusion of the HWP Development town hall session at the Sarawak General Hospital ( SGH ) auditorium on Sept 5 , 2022 .

Khairy also noted that connectivity was the backbone of the HWP . “ It is not just digital connectivity , but it is also about data . I ’ m big on data transparency .

“ I strongly believe in datadriven resource allocation as well . We must be solid on data to match demand with resource allocation and broadly put the resources where they are urgently needed .”

Khairy stated that the White Paper would not tackle disease in general , despite the numerous debates on particular diseases that were brought up during the town hall event . He clarified that the

high-quality healthcare .

IHH and Sime Darby are significant players in the healthcare industry , owning an array of private hospitals . IHH is controlled by the government ’ s investment arm Khazanah Nasional Bhd while Sime Darby ’ s controlling shareholder is national unit trust fund Permodalan Nasional Bhd .

Interestingly , the termination of the RSDHC deal comes in the wake of IHH ’ s recent announcement that it was selling its entire stake in IMU Health Sdn Bhd ( IMUH ) to Inbound Education Holdings Sdn Bhd ( IEHSB ) for RM1.24 billion . It is part

Khairy at the HWP Kuching Town Hall . of a deal to dispose of assets worth RM1.35 billion .

IHH is expected to gain RM901.98 million from the proposed asset disposal .

IHH had said the move aligned with the group ’ s strategy to divest non-core assets and recycle capital by deploying the proceeds to grow its core healthcare delivery services business . Among IHH ’ s leading brand names are Acibadem , Mount Elizabeth , Prince Court , Gleneagles , Fortis , Pantai and Parkway .

The move would see Hong Leong Healthcare Group Sdn Bhd , Singapore ’ s The Rise Fund Inbound SF Pte Ltd and the Employees Provident Fund ( EPF ) taking significant stakes in IMUH through their vehicle IEHSB . IMUH holds IMU Education , IMC Education Sdn Bhd and IMU Healthcare Sdn Bhd .

IEHSB is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Inbound Education Partners Sdn Bhd ( IEPSB ), which Hong Leong Healthcare owns ( 45 per cent ), The Rise Fund Inbound SF Pte Ltd ( 45 per cent ) and the EPF ( 9.99 per cent ).

I strongly believe in data driven resource allocation as well . We have to be very solid on data to match demand with resource allocation and broadly put the resources to where it is urgently needed .”

government would instead be able to eradicate some diseases that can be eradicated through a systemic reaction .

“ Why is the system today not structured so that we can eliminate or bring down to less than the prevalence of five per cent of all these diseases ? And how do we create a system , through the White Paper , that cannot only eliminate these diseases , but make sure that they are eliminated as quickly as possible , especially in the marginalised community where its prevalence is the highest ?

“ So , the White Paper is not going to look at disease per se , but rather a system response to making sure that these diseases , these conditions , or predicament can be addressed effectively and timely ,” he said .

Dr . Muruga Raj at the 62nd Malaysian Medical Association ( MMA ) dinner .

THE Public Services Department ( JPA ) is looking into establishing partnerships between the public and private sectors for specific health services .

Its Director-General Datuk Seri Mohd Shafiq Abdullah said the government recognised the significant contribution made by private healthcare providers in the nation in satisfying the need for healthcare services , particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic . Private hospitals also assisted in the management of Covid-19 cases .

“ Such public-private partnerships have shown improvement and maximised the reach of healthcare service delivery to the population .

“ As a former Secretary-General of the Ministry of Health ( MoH ) who has experience with various issues and challenges in our health system , I believe that the public-private approach needs to be explored further ,“ he said during the 62nd Malaysian Medical Association ( MMA ) dinner .

He said currently there were 8,350 private clinics , over 10,000 licenced physicians , and more than 220 private hospitals that could supplement the medical care provided at public health facilities .

In addition to lowering government spending , he continued , the alliance would be able to lessen the load on the public healthcare system .

He added the collaboration would be able to ease the burden borne by the public healthcare system in addition to reducing government expenditure .

Following the association ’ s 62nd Annual General Meeting , which was held in a hybrid format , Dr R . Muruga Raj took over as MMA president for 2022 – 2023 , succeeding Dr Koh Kar Chai , who now serves as immediate past president .

Dr Muruga Raj said during his inaugural address at the dinner that he would concentrate on the problem of bullying among healthcare professionals in the public healthcare system .

For the healthcare system to properly reflect universal health coverage , he also emphasised the need for greater distribution of specialist services nationwide .

“ With the tabling of Budget 2023 coming up in October , MMA is hopeful of seeing a budget for healthcare truly reflecting the government ’ s commitment towards reforms ,“ he said . – The Health