More than two decades have passed and the National Health Financing Scheme still seems up in the air in terms of concept and implementation. Will it be a flat-rate or not? Will it take a year or ten? Despite continuous studies on the proposed scheme, is Malaysia anywhere closer to a health financing scheme which is affordable, fair and accessible to all levels of society?

MALAYSIA’s once rosy economic outlook isn’t looking as rose petal-fresh as it used to anymore. In 1992, Malaysia transitioned from a lower-middle to upper-middle income country, surpassing most of our regional neighbours. Rich in natural resources and attractive to global investors due to relatively low production costs, Malaysia prospered in the early 1990s. But other [...]