Health

In the nearly 60 years since its independence, Malaysia has made enormous strides in health care, creating an internationally lauded public health system that delivers quality care to a large proportion of the public at extremely generous rates. This is complemented by a growing private sector, which provides quality care – often in specialist areas – to those Malaysians and foreigners who can afford it. In February 2015 Prime Minister Najib Razak could boast that public medical fees were the lowest in the world, with the government currently subsidising health care costs at a rate of about 98%. But as Malaysians live longer and lifestyles change, the prevalence of diseases such as diabetes and cancer has increased, putting pressure on health care funding. This chapter contains a dialogue with Amiruddin Abdul Satar, Managing Director, KJP Healthcare; and Ahmad Shahizam Bin Mohd Shariff, CEO, Pantai Group.