The development of health care system in Malaysia - With special reference to government health services, 1970-2000

Abstract

The development of the Malaysian health system has followed closely the objectives of the national development plans. The health sector became an important contributor. The questions are whether the Malaysian government health system has achieved what was planned and whether the government health expenditure and resource allocation reflected national priorities and interests? The findings show that the expenditure patterns fitted very well with the national development objectives but fell short on objective economic criteria. The over-emphasis on physical coverage of services has failed to consider new challenges and the relentless pursuit of this goal has contributed to higher costs and compromised allocative and technical efficiency. The relatively lower proportion of expenditure on provision of services and manpower has also accentuated the problem. Consequently, the inefficiencies of the system have contributed to greater inequity in other forms.