Costs of Private Hospital vs Government Hospital in Malaysia

Private hospital vs government hospital in Malaysia. The cost of government hospital treatment (or the cost of private hospital treatment) is one of the things you should think about when choosing a hospital to get treatment. This is because, these two health facilities offer different costs and expenses for the treatment of the same disease. The question is, how big is the difference in treatment costs between government hospitals and private hospitals? This article will break down the differences, especially in terms of treatment costs for government hospitals and private hospitals.

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Estimated Treatment Costs of Government Hospitals and Private Hospitals

In general, the cost of treatment in government hospitals is much cheaper and lower than in private hospitals. The cost of treatment in private hospitals usually charges higher in line with the services offered – private hospitals are said to offer better services and facilities.

You may be wondering, is there a significant difference between the cost of treatment in government hospitals and private hospitals? You can refer to the estimated cost of medical treatment in Malaysia in government and private hospitals for you to make your own comparison:

Types of Treatment	Cost of Government Hospital Treatment	Cost of Private Hospital Treatment
Angiogram procedure	RM50 up to RM200	RM15,000 up to RM20,000
Bilateral knee replacement	RM10,000 up to RM35,000	RM25,000 up to RM45,000
Coronary artery graft bypass	RM4,000 up to RM5,000	RM25,000 up to RM80,000
Chemotheraphy	RM200 up to RM300 for every treatment	RM50 up to RM4,000 for every cycle treatment
Hip replacement	RM8,000 up to RM15,000	RM24,000 up to RM55,000
Spine surgery	RM15,000 up to RM36,000	RM40,000 up to RM55,000
Stroke treatment	RM4,000 and above	RM35,000 up to RM75,000
Cataract surgery	RM100 up to RM540	RM3,500 up to RM6,000
Dengue	Free	RM1,000 up to RM3,000
Kidney stone	RM3,000 up to RM10,000	RM9,000 up to RM40,000

In addition, there are also other costs that you need to explain when getting treatment at the hospital. Here is a table of additional charges that may be added to your hospital bill:

Other Costs	Government Hospital	Private Hospital
Consultation fee	A nominal fee of RM1	RM30 up to RM250
Hospital admission fee	RM50 up to RM100	Charges between six and 10 percent of the total cost of your surgery or treatment as a deposit or entry fee.
Room charge (per day)	RM3 up to RM80	RM80 up to RM300
X-ray scan	RM10	RM35 ke atas
Ultrasound scan	RM10 up to RM100	RM100 up to RM300
Angiogram	RM75	RM2,500 and above
Blood test	RM1	RM50 and above
CT Scan	RM450	RM900 and above
MRI Scan	RM650 and above	RM1,200 and above
Anestesia	Free	RM1,000 and above
Ambulance	RM50 and above	RM200 and above

It should be noted that the cost of treatment depends on the hospital you choose. Each hospital may charge different fees depending on the criteria they have set.

In addition, the level of health, whether your illness is in a critical stage or a stage that is still safe, can also be a factor in the cost of your treatment increasing. Not only that, you will also be charged extra for other additional treatments such as health checks and pre-surgery.

Comparison of Private hospital vs Government Hospital in Malaysia

Health care remains one of the most important aspects of our daily lives as humans. The health facilities available in Malaysia are indeed unlimited and they can be accessed by all walks of life in this country.

As mentioned above, there are two categories of healthcare facilities in Malaysia namely government hospitals and private hospitals. Although both provide the same healthcare services, there are some distinct differences, advantages and disadvantages between these two facilities.

Government Hospital

The government provides subsidies for healthcare in Malaysia and you can get treatment at a lower cost in government hospitals. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of government hospitals:

Advantages	Disadvantages
The cost is cheaper because it is borne by the government	Longer waiting period due to the larger number of patients in government hospitals
Mampu menampung pesakit yang ramai dalam satu-satu masa	Mungkin mendapat kurang penjagaan kesihatan peribadi daripada pihak hospital disebabkan ramai pesakit lain juga memerlukan perhatian

Private Hospital

Private hospitals are the choice of the public because they offer better service quality and comfort despite charging higher charges. Usually, those who have a health insurance policy will choose a private hospital because they can claim health insurance from the insurance company to cover the high cost of treatment.

By having a health insurance plan or medical card, you can get treatment at a private hospital without spending a lot of money to cover the cost of treatment. On the other hand, you only have to pay the insurance premium every month and you can make a claim when you need. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of private hospitals:

Advantages	Disadvantages
Shorter waiting period	Offers more expensive treatment than government hospitals
Offers personalized health care with doctors monitoring	Can only treat a limited number of patients at a time
Providing more comfortable and privacy facilities such as private wards, room service and more sophisticated healthcare equipment	Does not accept all health insurance policies (depending on the hospital)

Choose a Hospital According to Your Ability and Needs

The decision whether to choose a government hospital or a private hospital depends on your financial situation and also your health condition. If you want to enjoy cheaper treatment costs, you can get treatment at a government hospital. However, with the huge number of patients to be treated every day, government hospitals cannot afford to give special attention to patients as private hospitals can.

If you value comfort and privacy, you can choose to get treatment at a private hospital with high treatment costs. To cover the cost of treatment which may reach tens to hundreds of thousands of ringgit, you can make a claim on your medical insurance or pay using your own savings if you do not have insurance.

If you don’t have health insurance yet, one of the best ways to get the best health insurance is through Qoala. Qoala is the best insurance platform in Malaysia approved by Bank Negara Malaysia that will help compare different medical insurance plans to ensure you get the right health and medical insurance plan for you and your loved ones.