Greater Cooperation Between Private, Public Healthcare Needed, Minister Of Health Says
By Azrol Azmi

Bandar Seri Begawan - Greater cooperation should be encouraged between private and public healthcare sectors, Minister of Health, Pehin Dato Seri Setia Haji Suyoi bin Haji Osman, said in his keynote address at the opening of IHFEC 2006 held in Singapore last week.

There is a limit in terms of the level of advanced healthcare that can be provided free of charge to all sectors of the population, the minister added.

This limit is partly due to the finite healthcare budget, the amount of money required for provision and development of the basic healthcare system, and the limitation of highly trained and high cost of human resources required to provide an advanced level of healthcare.

To overcome these limitations, the minister called for greater cooperation between the private and public healthcare sectors, and to view both healthcare systems as two mutually independent entities.

It is in the government of Brunei Darussalam's interest to foster continuous development in the private healthcare sector through the development of policies, which allow for cooperative initiatives between private and public healthcare systems for the mutual benefit of all involved, Pehin Dato Seri Setia Haji Suyoi said.

Through this, the government can achieve its goals of broader access to tertiary healthcare for its citizens in a sustainable and cost effective manner. Thus the government can focus its resources on the provision of basic healthcare needs, while at the same time stimulating the continued development of private healthcare, he added.

The minister highlighted the partnership of Gleneagles JPMC Cardiac Centre in Jerudong as an example, which allowed patients access to the latest in cardiac

treatments and interventions without having to leave the country.

Pehin Dato Seri Setia Haji Suyoi also outlined the Ministry of Health's Strategic Planning for the next 20 years, which includes five objectives. They are to promote and upgrade basic healthcare services, to give more emphasis in the fight against chronic diseases, to achieve high quality healthcare,- to achieve an equitable budget allocation and to explore alternative sources of healthcare funding.

It also aims to further develop and promote centres of excellence in Brunei healthcare services. The minister said plans for a national cancer centre are also in the pipeline as cancer is one of the top two causes of mortality in Brunei.

Pehin Dato Seri Setia Haji Suyoi also spoke on the Ministry of Health's policy that provides comprehensive healthcare services to mothers and children from primary to tertiary level. Among the initiatives that have been successfully implemented are child health screening, developmental surveillance and immunisation, birth-spacing, antenatal and post-natal care, and Well-Women screening.

According to Brunei Health Statistics 2003, only two maternal deaths were reported, while the Infant Mortality Rate stands at 9.5 per 1,000 live births. This is a stark contrast to the Infant Mortality Rate in the 60s and 70s, which: stood at 38 per 1,000 live births.

The improvements are the result of positive action by the government through the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education, which have over the years recruited and trained a healthcare workforce capable of meeting an increasing demand.

Their skills are also continuously upgraded through training, both domestically and overseas. Accessibility to basic necessities such as clean water, good sanitation and education are now readily available nationwide.  -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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