KUALA LUMPUR, April 21 — The Selangor state government projects medical costs to increase by 15 to 25 per cent amid the West Asia conflict.
Sinar Harian reported Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari as citing the projection by an international bank that looked at the impact of global supply chain disruptions on the prices of goods and services.
“It is estimated that nearly 70 to 80 per cent of the country’s medicines are sourced from abroad; if the crisis along major trade routes continues, it will have a direct impact on rising treatment costs,” Amirudin told the Selangor state legislative assembly today.
He added that the “true” impact of the global energy crisis is expected to be fully felt in September or October.
Michelle Ng Mei Sze (PH-Subang Jaya) reportedly said Malaysia was in a strategic position to act as a halal medical hub that could potentially attract medical tourists from West Asia.
Amirudin stressed that this required careful evaluation, including the capacity of the health care system and its ability to accommodate external demand.
Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad recently told reporters that drug prices have risen by about 30 to 40 per cent, with even higher price hikes for medical devices at up to 100 per cent.
CodeBlue recently reported on shortages of dialysers and canister or bottle packaging for haemodialysis concentrate solutions that are emerging at the distributor or supplier level. A supplier said it has stopped accepting new customers for concentrate orders.
