HEALTH CARE ISSUES IN MALAYSIA

Posted by Unknown On Wednesday, March 10, 2010 18 comments
In the past, Malaysia had a health care system that we were proud of but today, it is altogether a different story because our health care system has transformed into a buoyant dual-tiered parallel system, with a sizable and thriving private sector. To date, there is no system whereby every citizen has universal access to a unified system of health care. Ideally, the public sector caters to the bulk of the population (about 65%), but the sad truth is that only 45% of all registered doctors, and 25-30% of specialists serve in the public sector.



From the economic viewpoint, health care is a merit good that an individual or society should have on the basis of some concept of need, rather than ability and willingness to pay. However, current trends show that one day, there could be an eventual corporatization of the public sector facilities and services should be allowed to unfold, there could come a time when market forces dictate the price, extent and quality of the services offered.

According to THIS LINK:

A UNDP Human Development Report (2006) paper determined that in 2005, the
Malaysian government spent just 2.2% of its gross domestic product as its contribution to the public sector health care funding, while some 1.6% of our health care expenditure came from the private sector. The World Health Report 2006 stated that the Malaysian government spends some 6.9% of its total expenditure, on health care. Yet despite such a low level of national investment on health care (just 3.8% of GDP), we have achieved quite laudable health outcomes results. Our life expectancy at birth has risen from 55.8 years and 58.2 years for men and women, respectively in 1957, to 71.8 and 76.3 years, respectively for 2006.

The tax-funded public health care sector caters for the bulk of the population (~65%), but is served by just about 45% of all registered doctors, and even fewer specialists ((25-30%).7 The cost of these services is almost entirely borne by budget allocations from the central treasury, with patients paying paltry nominal sums for access both to outpatient clinics or admissions to hospitals. These are offered at unrealistically cheap but clearly cost-effective if heavily subsidised rates. However, this is questionably sustainable in the longer term, if we allow market forces to prevail.

Currently, budget allocations subsidize the public sector so patients paying only nominal fees for outpatient treatment and hospitalisation. The private sector on the other hand, has grown tremendously over the past 25 years. However, this two-tiered system with quite different goals may be unsustainable in the longer term. It is unlikely that there can be full integration of private-public health care sectors. We can hope for better partnership and collaboration of services to harness the best of each system for the health care betterment of our citizens. We should aim for a more cost-effective system. A single or easily portable system of reimbursement should also be considered. No matter what, our government must take care of the welfare of its citizens.

In reality, there are many health-care issues in our country including:

  • Long waiting list at public hospitals
  • Lack of control of charges in private hospitals
  • Lack of control of high tech medical equipment.
  • Lack of action on preventive health care
  • Level of competence of the doctors, nurses and paramedicals


If you want to know more about health care issues, fret not. Sembang-sembang Forum is organizing a talk called "No Money To Pay The Doctor"--- What's Wrong with Our Health Care?" on March 20th Saturday, 2.30p.m. at Kompleks Penyayang, Penang.

The speakers are Dr. Jeyakumar (MP Sg. Siput, PSM) and Dr. Jayabalan (Occupational Health Specialist).

Please come for the talk. You can be assured that it will be an enriching time for you.

Recommended for further reading:

Dr. Jeyakumar's Budget Speech

The Malaysian Health Care System - A Review by Dr. David K.L. Quek

Health Care - The Rights for All

Malaysian Health Care System

Financing Primary Health Care

Please leave a comment if you wish to share your views or concerns about this topic. Thanks. Have a lovely evening!

18 comments to HEALTH CARE ISSUES IN MALAYSIA

  1. says:

    Anonymous Health Care?
    No money, no talk!

  1. says:

    Unknown Hi there Anon @ 8.49 p.m.

    Do I know you? The tag line sounds familiar....:-)

    Thanks for swinging by!

    Cheers

  1. says:

    Apa Nama Will 1Malaysia clinics help to ease the burden of government hospitals? Will more patients be seeking treatments in these clinics?

  1. says:

    Anonymous If ever you are really sick, I'd advise you not to seek treatment at a government hospital.
    The waiting will make you more sick!

  1. says:

    DarkUFO Test

  1. says:

    Anonymous "The waiting will make you more sick!"

    Yes, even so, especially at the out patient clinics, the fact is that the general population cannot afford private Health Care. Their means are too limited. How many can really afford Health Insurance with ever dwindling disposable income?

    Yes, the Gomen has been spending stingily on Health as compared with Defense, e.g., for a very long time.

    How many ppl really know that even royalties and family also often depend on Gomen hospitals for their regular medication and that hospitals has special allocations for their very expensive medicine? Common nobodies are given cheaper ones which are made more expensive when unnecessary middlemean Pharmaniaga and its laser label scam came into being.

    How many ppl also know how absolutely cheap Panadol(Paracetamol) is to manufacture and how much quantum increase that the price underwent when retailed? It is absolutely scandalous! That's why imitation Panadol is so enriching a scam.

    ~wits0~

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear Apa Nama

    I foresee things will get worse because of may reasons....I hope to hear from medical practitioners during the forum next week. If you are from Penang, do attend the forum.

    Take care and God bless.

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear Anon @ 10.06 pm

    True. The queue is really long but the elderly, pensioners and poor do not have a choice. Besides, I have heard that even foreigners are in the queue but I am not sure if this is true.

    Thanks for sharing. Take care and God bless.

  1. says:

    Very Sad Nobody can deny that most government hospitals are understaffed and patients have to endure long waits.

    For the rich, they can go to private hospitals. But what about the poor?

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear DarkUFO

    Thanks for checking it out and for all your help.

    Cheers

  1. says:

    Catherine During challenging times like this, health care should not be treated as a business. Great emphasis should be placed on addressing the shortfalls that are ailing our present health care system. The needs of the poor rakyat should come first.

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear ~wits0~

    My appreciation to you for your very enlightening comment. I always wondered why the original Panadol is so expensive! Now I do...Lots for me to read about this topic.

    Thanks for the alert! God bless your kind heart.

    Cheers

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear Very Sad

    Indeed I am also concerned about the underprivileged in our society.

    On one hand, there is so much expenditure on irrelevant details and on the other, there are many who need so much help.

    Very saddening indeed. Take care and God bless you for your kind and considerate heart.

    Best wishes

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear Catherine

    You have spoken with much wisdom and insight from a caring heart!

    God bless you always. Take care and know that I appreciate your input!

    Warmest regards

  1. says:

    romerz Will you be going to this forum Paula?

    Given the time I spent the last few years in hospitals when taking care of my aged parents, I can tell you what went wrong with the system.

    Unfortunately I'm too lazy to write about it so can I narrate to you verbally if you want to take up this crusade?

    In simple terms, anything touched by the BN gov of today and yesteryears can only bring disaster for the ordinary Malaysians who have no opportunities to get our ruling elites to listen to us who are very close to the ground.

    Their disconnect with what ordinary Malaysians suffer daily will be their downfall but unfortunately before we get to enjoy the "change" we will have to bear the brunt of UMNO/BN's lack of ideas on how to manage an evolving country first!

    Simply put, UMNO/BN only knows how to govern a stagnant society like the one they inherited from the Brits in 1957.

    They are at a loss on how to manage a society who understands the issues bemoaning our country and increasingly want to be heard!

    All I have to say is keep up or ship out to UMNO/BN otherwise they would have doomed our country to more drastic measures which is not palatable to ordinary Malaysians.

    Sorry Paula for sounding like a revolutionary but I was not always like this. I was forced to adopt this stance by the bastards of UMNO/BN!

    So who is at fault? The revolutionary or the bastards who laid the seeds for revolution to occur?

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear Romerz

    Thanks for your passionate response. I can appreciate what you went through cos I went through a brief experience when my dad was ill.

    Sure, I will be most happy to hear you out to write on this. This is a real tough topic and ludicrous as it may sound, I read up on this topic for a few hours before I wrote this short post!!! I felt completely inadequate but I had to do it because it is going to be a serious issue and Malaysians must be aware of what may befall them soon. The other reason was to give the forum mileage.

    Yes, I will definitely be there at the forum. Please come!!!

    You have rightly identified many core problems but what irks me most is the way $$$ is spent so freely in other areas (as highlighted the other evening at the forum) but where health care is concerned, it is a different story!!

    And who suffers? The rakyat, especially the elderly and the poor!

    Definitely it is the season for change!

    Take care and thanks for sharing. See you next week!

    Cheers

  1. says:

    semuanya OK kot UNDP, probably lining us up for another World Bank or IMF special treatment, is talking nonsense. We can definitely afford cheap health care if we cut out a few submarines, have competition in the construction and operation of hospitals, discontinue the current monopolies in the supply of pharmaceuticals, enforce an essential drugs list (which helps to identify fraudulent or overly expensive drugs, as CAP has been saying for a while) and justify policies to the public. Instead, we are now promoting our citizens as guinea pigs for medical tests, adn giving priprity to medical tourists.

    The certain Minister was stung some time ago by criticism that the poor were making appeals to the public to finance surgeries. She responded that there is a patient rep. in every hospital to look into complaints and arrange for government finance for eligible patients. Does anyone see any evidence of this?

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear Semuanya OK kot

    Thanks for highlighting this issue and for your comments which have shed more light on the scenario.

    I did not see any news about the situation you highlighted and hope someone can enlighten us.

    Take care and thanks for sharing.

    Shalom

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