Page 13 - MEDICAL AND HEALTH INSURANCE
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MEDICAL AND HEALTH INSURANCE
1.1.4 DELIVERY OF MHCS SERVICES
Primary healthcare is the thrust of the Malaysian Healthcare System,
supported by secondary care and services and tertiary care at regional
level. The national health referral system was established to provide
specialised care to enhance the basic care provided at the primary level.
The organisational structure of the Ministry of Health has three levels,
namely:
a) Federal
b) State
c) District
The decentralisation is to ensure efficiency in reaching out to the public at
large. Each hierarchical level determines the level of authority, information
flow, accountability, and supervision. The system encompasses all aspects
of care from preventive, promotive, curative to rehabilitative.
There are differences in terms of the size of the hospitals and in terms of
the services provided. Small district hospitals provide general medical and
nursing care and their manpower consists of medical officers and other
personnel. Larger district and regional hospitals provide a wide range of
specialist services, which the public can have easy access to, through a
referral system. The main objective is to provide a greater network of
healthcare facilities, equity, accessibility, and utilisation of healthcare
resources.
Whereas in the private sector there is a fee for service and the majority of
the private clinics and big hospitals are located in the urban areas. There
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