In Malaysia, the public healthcare sector is chronically underfunded and underinvested.
PN Federal Territories Information Chief Mahathir Mohd Rais, in a statement today (Feb 9), said: “This can be seen at all of Malaysia’s government hospitals. People have to wait for a long time, are typically in agony, and are occasionally treated cruelly by hospital workers. However, we cannot blame the employees since they are burdened with enormous obligations and stress, and the government is doing little to address it.”
“The problems are genuine, and they are causing our people pain,” added Mahathir.
He added that according to Former Federation of Private Medical Practitioners Associations and Malaysian Medical Association president Dr. Milton Lum there are concerns which needs to be highlighted on how the healthcare system could be futureproofed from its current unsustainable state in early 2023.
Mahathir feels reforms are required in order to benefit the people of our country. We must study how European countries operate their universal healthcare systems. Countries such as Norway and Switzerland are well-known for their medical breakthroughs, adding, the issue is not so much with the employees as it is with the government’s failure to allocate an enhanced budget to the public health sector. True, the budget has grown over time, but it is still insufficient.
This would also help us prepare for future pandemics. Malaysia was woefully unprepared when such situations arose; have we not learned anything?
Furthermore, the government must prioritise patient safety and excellent treatment.
Mahathir cited Dr Lum saying the greatest cause of disability and mortality is adverse events caused by hazardous care. Such occurrences cannot be repeated because they may be too much for the sufferer and his or her family to handle.
Government hospitals are severely inadequate in metropolitan regions; image the situation in rural places. I think that the government must play a role in providing equitable care to persons living in rural regions, as well as implementing widespread improvements in all critical sectors in Malaysia. Only then will we be able to fully flourish as a country, added Mahathir.
