Social media posts misleadingly claim Malaysian public hospitals scrapped free dialysis treatment

Healthcare at public hospitals and clinics in Malaysia is heavily subsidised by the government but it is not free. However, social media posts have surfaced alongside a misleading claim that the Southeast Asian country had started charging for dialysis treatments and urged the government to "roll back" the changes. The health minister said nominal charges have always existed and the current pricing scheme of 13 ringgit ($3) per session has been in place since 2016.

"Haemodialysis at government hospitals is no longer free. All patients are required to pay 13 ringgit per session. For those who are poor, that is 169 ringgit per month, which is a lot of money," read part of a Malay-language Facebook post on October 13, 2024.

The accompanying image shows a receipt issued by a government hospital for dialysis sessions for September.

The cost includes a dialysis charge of 10 ringgit, and a facility charge of 3 ringgit, bringing the total to 13 ringgit per session. The receipt shows the patient received 13 sessions per month with the final cost being 169 ringgit.

The post went on to urge the government to "roll back the charges" and to avoid increasing costs in the future.