A review on the Cost-Utility Analysis for the FELDA Residents in Malaysia with “Health Care Scheme (Skim Peduli Kesihatan) for the B40 Group” (PeKa B40) Coverage

Abstract

Introduction: People with low socioeconomic status are always found to be one of the significant factors to determine their health status. The Malaysian government has initiated multiple programs to address the issues related to the health quality improvement of the population in line with the United Nations (UN) target for Universal Health Coverage (UHC). One of them is the “Health Care Scheme (Skim Peduli Kesihatan)” or PeKa B40 which was recently launched in 2019 to improve the target community's health status by offering several benefits obtained by the program including free health screening at private or public facilities concerning non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The cost-utility analysis study for the FELDA residents in Malaysia with “PeKA B40” coverage is needed to increase the understanding of the program's benefits and weaknesses during its implementation. It will help in identifying specific factors related to the utilization of the PeKa B40 program and will fill the gap in the economic evaluation of the government initiative. The policymaker may take into consideration of the discussion and recommendation to improve awareness among healthcare providers, especially at the primary care level. Concerning the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), the study can give an impact on achieving good health and well-being (SDG 3.0). Conclusion: In the 12th Malaysia Plan, the Malaysian government showed commitment to combat NCDs in line with the international target by targeting to reduce the NCDs prevalence by focusing on non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Therefore, a health reform commission needs to be established to improve the effectiveness, efficiency and equity of healthcare access to all residents mostly among B40 group in Malaysia.