The schedule of fees at the University Hospital of the University of Malaya (under the administration of the Ministry of Education) indicated that outpatient clinic visits cost RM 3. A sliding scale for ward fees meant that those with a monthly income below RM 300 paid just RM 3 per day up to a maximum of RM 60 per day for those earning in excess of RM 5000 per month. A range of special categories of patients received free treatment. These included inmates of welfare institutions, aborigines, the disabled, and those receiving social security assistance. Somewhat incongruously, the hereditary state rulers and governors were also eligible for free treatment [9].