This article, written by Dr Muhammad Aizat Zainal Alam and Professor Datuk Norma Mansor, argues that Malaysia's universal public healthcare is facing a crisis due to chronic underinvestment.
Stretched by a rapidly ageing population and the rising burden of chronic diseases, the system is struggling to maintain quality and equity. With public health expenditure at just 2.83% of GDP (compared to the OECD average of 6.94%), the system is suffering from a staff crisis, evidenced by a 57% rise in specialist resignations between 2019 and 2023. The authors urge a shift in mindset: healthcare must be re-framed and financed not as a recurrent fiscal cost, but as a strategic investment in human capital and long-term economic prosperity, with a commitment to raise spending to 5% of GDP.
Read the full article at https://theedgemalaysia.com/node/773792