Malaysia National Health Scheme

The Health Ministry is seriously considering a national health insurance scheme which is run and supported by the government, the minister, Dr S Subramaniam, said yesterday. He said the scheme would be voluntary and an alternative to private health care.

“There will be no private player (insurance company) and no profit motive. The government health insurance scheme will evolve according to time,” he told reporters. “It is too early for me to give details such as the structure the scheme and so on. I am just throwing it out as a concept and let the relevant party discuss it.”

The move to introduce the government healthcare insurance scheme did not mean that the government plans to stop the current public healthcare delivery system.

“The government is still responsible to the public in providing the public healthcare system that everyone is utilising now. The public healthcare delivery will still continue and will not change.”

However, about half of Malaysians currently turn to private clinics and private hospitals for medical attention.

Subramaniam said the ministry had been studying the government healthcare insurance scheme concept for the past few months and analysing the challenges involved in implementing such a scheme.

“Once we are confident, we will offer it to the public,” he further said.

The ministry came up with the idea of introducing the government health insurance scheme as it was aware that one of the challenges for Malaysians was paying for healthcare services.

“Such a situation can get people into financial catastrophe. The government healthcare insurance scheme may just be the answer.”


He said Malaysia had recently hosted delegates from 27 countries for a meeting on universal health coverage initiated by the World Bank.