Answer to Written Question PT068

QUESTION

Yang Berhormat Dayang Hajah Rosmawatty binti Haji Abdul Mumin

YANG BERHORMAT DAYANG HAJAH ROSMAWATTY BINTI HAJI ABDUL MUMIN asks the Minister of Health to state whether the Ministry of Health has data on the total annual payments for overseas treatment and what is the policy for sending patients overseas. Will the Ministry initiate a domestic critical treatment plan to reduce costs in the long term?

ANSWER

Yang Berhormat Menteri Kesihatan

The Ministry of Health provides patient referral services overseas for cases requiring specialist treatment that is not yet available in the country. This is managed by the Patient Management Unit, Department of Medical Services. Each year, a number of patients are referred to health institutions overseas, including in Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand, for treatment in fields such as cardiology, cancer, orthopaedics, ophthalmology, neurology, urology, paediatrics and others.

Total Expenditure for Overseas Treatment: In terms of expenditure data, the Ministry has recorded that the cost of overseas treatment in the past decade (April 2018 - March 2019) showed higher expenditure (*BND 21 million) compared with the estimated overall expenditure in the recent year (**BND 7 million) (April 2024 - March 2025), which indicates a substantive decline in expenditure.

*BND21,315,666.68
**BND7,280,612.22

Policy for Sending Patients Overseas: The policy for sending patients overseas is selective in nature and based on clinical need. Each referral goes through a clinical panel that will assess the treatment requirement as well as the absence of suitable alternatives within the country. This decision also involves direct discussion between local specialists and overseas specialists to ensure the effectiveness of treatment.

The Patient Management Unit is responsible for:

• Providing flight tickets, accommodation, living allowances and transport for patients and escorts;
• Giving briefings and complete information to patients and escorts before departure;
• Monitoring costs and treatment implementation;
• Managing the repatriation of patients who fall ill while overseas; and
• Maintaining close liaison with the Embassy/Consulate of Negara Brunei Darussalam as well as airlines to ensure a smooth process.

Long-Term Plan Towards Domestic Critical Treatment: The Ministry is actively formulating and implementing a long-term plan to reduce dependence on overseas treatment. Among these are:

• Development of local human resources in specialist fields such as hepatobiliary surgery, organ transplantation, nuclear medicine and palliative care.
• Transfer of technology and expertise through collaboration with overseas medical centres.
• Phased kidney transplant training at RIPAS Hospital in cooperation with overseas specialists has been carried out and performed by local surgeons.
• Liver transplants are currently performed by visiting surgeons while at the same time training local professionals.
• Strengthening cardiology services, whereby most cases can now be handled fully in this country except for complex congenital heart disease.

Overall, this approach is a strategic step by the Ministry to ensure the effective use of national resources, enhance the capacity of the domestic health system and at the same time provide the best treatment to patients.