Health Sector in Malaysia

Health care is the treatment and management of illness, and the preservation of health through services offered by the medical, dental, complementary and alternative medicine, pharmaceutical, clinical laboratory sciences (in vitro diagnostics), nursing, and allied health professions. Health care embraces all the goods and services designed to promote health, including preventive, curative and palliative interventions, whether directed to individuals or to populations

The Malaysian healthcare system is similar to the German system, it can be divided into two sectors, the public and private health care sector. Both the sectors have potential for growth. The public health care program is subsidized by the government and is accessible to everyone. On the other hand, the private commercial health care sector is meant for the affluent section of the society. The Government has also recognized the role of traditional/complementary medicine in the health care delivery and integrated services.

 

The main aim of the Malaysian health care system is to improve the health status of the population, to improve the responsiveness of health services to the population and to improve the financial fairness of funding for the health care system. To summarize, the Malaysian heath system provides for high and equitable health status at relatively low cost.

 

In the Seventh Malaysia Plan, (1996-2000), it was proposed that "the Government would gradually reduce its role in the provision of health services and increase its regulatory and enforcement functions. A health financial scheme to meet health care costs would be implemented. Under the scheme, a new fund known as the "The National Health Fund" would be established. It would pay for the treatment of all the conditions/illnesses that are mentioned in the "Essential Health Benefit Package". Payments would be made to both public and private hospitals.