Patient wants to know why he was made to pay more

I WAS admitted to a medical centre in Petaling Jaya on July 13 for a total right knee joint replacement. After the successful operation, I was discharged in the morning of July 17.

Just as I was about to leave the twin-sharing room, I was made to pay an extra RM1,702.50. I had already paid RM24,500 for the “package” amount before my admission.

I did not over-stay in the hospital. There was no complication or unexpected incident during and after the operation. So what was the extra charge for?

It was stated clearly on the medical centre’s admission form that it was a package.

I emailed the medical centre to ask for details of the extra charge and requested a refund if it was wrongly charged due to human error or otherwise.

The public relations section of the centre acknowledged receipt of my email and informed me that I would get a reply from them.

More than three weeks have elapsed since my discharge from the centre but I still haven’t received a reply to my query.

Malaysians are yearning for more accountability and transparency – and rightly so. To this end, I feel duty-bound to draw attention to the incident.

A little action would count towards getting back our good old Malaysian culture and values eventually.

DATUK IR. HO HAK KIEW Petaling Jaya