Malaysia’s primary healthcare public‒private partnership venture: the Medical Equipment Enhancement Tenure (MEET) initiative

Primary healthcare (PHC) is often the first point of contact for patients in the healthcare system. Well-maintained medical equipment is essential to ensure the smooth operation of PHC centres. As an initiative to enhance the quality of medical equipment in PHC centres in Malaysia through a Public‒Private Partnership (PPP), the Ministry of Health (MOH) of Malaysia launched the Medical Equipment Enhancement Tenure (MEET) initiative known as the MEET Programme in 2014. The focus of MEET is to outsource the acquisition and maintenance of biomedical equipment at PHC centres, which are managed by the concessionaire. Thus, this article provides an overview of the MEET Programme, which describes the programme’s development, implementation, and outcome from the MOH perspective. Additionally, the practical application of lessons from the MEET program to similar initiatives in Malaysia or abroad was further clarified, to highlight how this best practice could be adopted both nationwide and internationally, and applied to other healthcare-related services. The Engineering Services Division of the Research and Technical Support Programme of the MOH and the concessionaire were engaged by researchers to gather comprehensive information regarding the MEET Programme. The information was acquired through a multi-faceted approach, which included one-on-one, face-to-face interviews with stakeholders using a developed interview guide, as well as a retrospective review of relevant administrative secondary data, a thorough literature review, and a database search. The MEET programme involves participation from the Family Health Development Division of the Public Health Programme, Oral Health Programme, Procurement and Privatisation Division of the MOH. The MEET programme has enhanced not only the acquisition but also the maintenance of biomedical equipment, mainly through meeting key performance indicators (KPIs) for both new and existing equipment. The four KPIs developed for the maintenance of biomedical equipment under the MEET programme include response time, repair time, scheduled maintenance, and uptime guarantee. According to the data collected between 2015 and 2022, the programme has made continuous progress in terms of KPIs and prolonged medical equipment breakdown rectification. In addition, the initiative saved approximately RM 150 million (30%) in cost between 2015 and 2016, which was subsequently utilised to purchase an additional 4000 units of medical equipment. The MEET programme demonstrates significant benefits for public health services in Malaysia, suggesting that it is a potential model for future PPP initiatives.