Malaysia has achieved universal health coverage (UHC) since the 1980s, supported by systematic planning and equitable health care systems, leading to a coverage rate of over 90%. The country's ageing population poses challenges, necessitating policies to ensure healthy and productive ageing, with comprehensive healthcare services provided to the elderly. Efforts are underway to enhance care for older persons through inter-agency collaboration and regulatory measures addressing changing family structures and economic challenges.

1. Malaysian Health SystemCountry Presentations on UHC:
Sharing of best practices
MALAYSIA
Commonwealth Health Ministers Meeting
“Universal Health Coverage, with an emphasis on ageing and good
health”
Geneva, Switzerland, 17th May 2015

2. Universal Health Coverage in Malaysia
• The extent and success of the Malaysian health care
has been due to careful and systematic planning of
development
– long term planning horizons, e.g. Vision 2020
– short term development plans, e.g. 10th Malaysia
Plan (2011-2015) and 11th Malaysia Plan (2016-
2020)
• Equitable distribution of wealth and social
services, and the alleviation of poverty are central
priorities to the Government of Malaysia
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3. • Malaysia now has a fairly developed healthcare system.
This, coupled with the general tax funding for health, has
provided Malaysia with an equitable public health care
delivery system.
• The country had achieved universal health coverage
around the 1980’s.
(Savadoff & Smith, Dec 2011)
• World Bank has also acknowledged that Malaysia has
achieved UHC to a large extent with more than 90%
coverage.
(Aparnaa Somanathan, World Bank Forum on Building Systems for UHC:
South-South Knowledge Exchange with Korea. December 2014)
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4. Socio-Demographics
• 2014 Total Population: 30,261,700
– Age 0-14 years: 25.6%
– Age 15-59 years: 65.5%
– Age ≥ 60 years : 8.9%
• Population is multi-ethnic, multi-cultural & multi-
religion
• Life expectancy at birth (2013) – Health Facts 2014
– Male: 72.5 years
– Female: 77.2 years
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5. • The Malaysian’s population will become an aged
nation within 15 years’ time, where our elderly
population aged 60 and above will make up about
15% of our total population
• The medical and social impact of ageing can burden a
country especially when the elderly population are
unhealthy. This is of concern to Malaysia given the
heavy burden of NCDs and unhealthy lifestyle
conditions that Malaysian’s have today
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6. Evidence From Local Research
• The National Health and Morbidity Survey – NHMS, 2011 - indicated
that about 24% of Malaysia households will have at least one (1)
elderly
• The Malaysia Health Care Demand Analysis – HCDA, 2012 shows that:
– 46.8% of elderly fall within the bottom 40% of households
– The elderly makes hospital admissions - 157 admissions per 1000
compared to 86 admissions per 1000 average population
– Outpatient 5.92 visits per year (4.44 visits per year)
– Elderly use the public sector much more than private health care
services
– 83% of admissions in public hospitals (total population - 74%)
– Outpatient visits - 67% in public facilities (total population - 48%)
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7. • To alleviate financial burden of seeking care, the
government of Malaysia has exempts charges for
outpatient and inpatient treatment for the elderly to
encourage appropriate access and utilization of
healthcare services
• When seeking care, the elderly enjoy preferential
treatment at public facilities counters that shortens
their waiting time substantially
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8. Services Already in Place
National Policy for Older Persons in 1995 (revised
in 2010) (MWFCD 2010)
• unified holistic national and inter-sectoral policy
• ensure that the elderly are independent, have dignity
and are respected
• by optimising their own potential through healthy
ageing, being positive, active and productive and
thus can still contribute to the country’s
development and wellbeing
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9. National Health Policy for Older
Persons (MOH 2008)
• This policy emphasises on ensuring a healthy, active
and productive ageing by empowering the older
persons, family and community with knowledge,
skills, an enabling environment as well as the
provision of optimal healthcare services at all levels
and by all sectors
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10. • Ministry of Health Malaysia provides comprehensive
health care services to the elderly which includes:
– health education & promotion
– health screening & assessment
– medical examination
– consultation
– home visit and homecare nursing
– rehabilitation
– social
– recreation
– welfare activities
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11. • Till December 2014, almost about 75% (about 1.9
million) of our elderly had registered with our public
primary healthcare facilities and had undergone
health screening and intervention for physical health,
cognitive function as well as others mental health
conditions
• There are various inter-ministerial and inter-agency
collaboration which also involves the private sector
and NGOs working together to provide health,
financial and social support for the elderly
population in Malaysia
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12. 31July2012
Interagency meeting
national level 31 July
MWFCD
MOY
MOHE
MINDEF
JAKIM
August2012
Mapping of clients
Screening
Elder Club
Community
collaboration
Training
August–November
2012
Target all
clients
identified to be
provided with
holistic support
NBOS 7 initiatives: 1MALAYSIA FAMILY CARE
• Launched by Malaysian's Prime Minister in 2012
• This initiative delivered an outreach activity to
provide a holistic and inter-sectorial services for
persons with disabilities, elderly and single mothers
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13. Regulating Private Institutions
• Acts to govern institutional care of the older persons:
i. Care Center Act, under Department of Social
Welfare (governs old folk homes)
ii. Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act, under
Ministry of Health (governs nursing homes)
• The Malaysian government is in the midst of
developing a regulatory law to further facilitate
care for the elderly
– This law will ensure the minimum provision of
quality care for the elderly in an accessible,
affordable and sustainable manner
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14. Specific Challenges
1. Social: Changing family structure
2. Economy: Inadequate savings for the elderly
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15. Changing family structure
• In developing countries and less developed nations
people are moving away from traditional extended
family structures towards smaller families with fewer
children
– Over the past five decades in Malaysia since
independence, economic development, modernisation,
and rural-urban migration together altered family ties and
attributed to more fragmented family structures
• Previously social support for the elderly came from the
extended family. This change is occurring at a much
faster rate than what we (i.e. government) are able to
create alternate systems
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16. Inadequate savings for the elderly
• Increasing life expectancy, but retirement age is from
55 – 60 years
• Inadequate savings due to shorter period of saving
and longer period of spending
• The question is how to maintain productivity in the
elderly?
– Extending working age
– Policies to encourage companies to bring retirees back into
the workforce
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17. THANK
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18. References
• Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH), Family Health Development
Division
• Department of Statistics (DOS) of Malaysia
• National Health and Morbidity Survey 2011
• Institute for Health System Research (IHSR) and Health Policy
Research Associates (HPRA) 2012: Malaysia Health Care Demand
Analysis (HCDA) , IHSR and HPRA 2012.
• Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH) 2012 :Circular of Finance
Division
• Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (MWFCD)
2010 : National Policy for Older Persons
• Ministry of Health Malaysia 2008: National Health Policy for Older
Persons
• Social Welfare Department (SWD) http: //www.jkm.gov.my
• Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH), Medical Practice Division 2013.
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