Page 127 - 20211214_OHKF_Health_Finance_Research_Report_E (1)

Some preliminary ideas were raised to more effectively organise and utilise resources to
maximise health system performance, including co-payment of public healthcare
services and distribution of resources in a more targeted way. Citing
international examples in the United Kingdom (UK) and Canada, some stakeholders
advocated for a partial sharing of fiscal responsibility by patients in the public sector.

Stakeholders’ voices

In our GOPCs, the drugs are still free. But if you think about it, for most
patients with chronic disease, they probably can afford their chronic
medications. It’s really not that expensive except for a few of the newer
drugs. And all over the world, [the] majority of the people except the
elderly pay too. They pay for the drugs even in the National Health
Service (NHS) in the UK. People pay for their own drugs. In Canada,
people pay for their own drugs even though they’ve got a universal
health insurance system.

Academic

The general public has to get used to the co-payment system.
Otherwise, it will be even harder to change people’s [payment
habits] if the Government bears all the costs.
Professional body representative

Now with this governmental system, just giving everybody
more money doesn’t work. Targeted distribution is fine–to
give more help to the few who are really poor, and to give
less help to the people who are not so poor.

Academic

125