Page 9 - MEDICAL AND HEALTH INSURANCE

MEDICAL AND HEALTH INSURANCE

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO MEDICAL AND HEALTH
INSURANCE

1.1 THE MALAYSIAN HEALTHCARE SYSTEM (MHCS)

The Malaysian Healthcare System is the responsibility of the Government's

Ministry of Health and is an efficient and widespread system of healthcare

that operates at two levels, both co-existing and consisting of the:

• Government-run universal healthcare system; and

• Private healthcare system

The Malaysian healthcare system requires doctors to perform three-year
compulsory service with public hospitals. This is to ensure that the

manpower in the public hospitals is maintained. Foreign doctors are

encouraged to apply for employment, especially when they are qualified at

a higher level or are highly trained specialists in certain special disciplines.

Malaysia's public healthcare system is financed mainly through general

revenue and taxation collected by the government while the private sector
is funded through private health insurance and out-of-pocket payments

from the consumers.

Most private hospitals are located in major towns or cities and are

equipped with the latest diagnostic and imaging facilities. However,
accessibility is confined to the higher income groups or those who have

private medical insurance. Both the public and private healthcare facilities

and services are regulated by the Ministry of Health in Malaysia.

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