Financing implants and prostheses in the midst of budgetary constraints

Boon Chong Se To¹, Kevin Moissinac², Sukumar Mahesan¹, Zaininah Mohd Zain¹, Azmi Sharpie³, Abdul Ghani Mohamed⁴ and Ahmad Tajudin Jaafar⁴ 

1. Hospital Pulau Pinang

2. Penang Medical College

3. State Department of Health, Penang:

4. Ministry of Health, Malaysia.

Correspondence: Dr K Moissinac: e-mail: kmoiThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

CITATION: Boon Chong Se To, Kevin Moissinac, Sukumar Mahesan, Zaininah Mohd Zain, Azmi Sharpie, Abdul Ghani Mohamed, et al. Financing implants and prostheses in the midst of budgetary constraints. International Medical Research Journal. 2002;6(1):21–3. 

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Budgetary constraints for the purchase of operative implants and prostheses stimulated a strategy which involved the purchase of less costly alternatives, which although manufactured in developing countries, met specifications. To minimize costs through high turnover, implants and prostheses were purchased from a few reliable companies and its agents. In addition to almost doubling the threshold from RM400 to RM750, over which the patient had to pay for the implant or prostheses, the strategy enabled staff to be quickly become familiar with instrumentation and procedure through repetitive operative experience using the same system. In addition, the practice of acquiring infrequently used implants and prostheses only when required prevented the holding of massive inventories of these expensive devices which may perhaps not be used.

KEYWORDS: financing, implants, prostheses, budgetary constraints