09/11/2025

ON SUNDAY November 9, 2025 X theSunday Special

As the country works to improve its health sector, the harsh reality of neglected healthcare in rural Malaysia remains visible Whispers of care

BY AQILAH NAJWA JAMALUDDIN

Progress in healthcare access can feel slow, but every individual helped is a victory.”

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In many villages, people delay care because the journey is too costly or too exhausting to make unless absolutely necessary. The consequences are severe: Preventable illnesses spiral into emergen cies and conditions that could have been managed early become life-threatening. “This is not about neglect, but about uneven progress – a health system that has improved dramatically overall, yet still struggles to reach its farthest communi WLHV ´ VDLG 'U $EGXOODKL 6KHUL̆ PDQDJLQJ director of MSD Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei. “No one should be left behind when it comes to access to appropriate and H̆ HFWLYH KHDOWKFDUH $Q H̆ HFWLYH KHDOWK system is one where people can access the right intervention at the right time, no more and no less.” Distance is not the only challenge. Even when services are available, they are not always used. According to the Malaysia Health Literacy Survey 2023, only one in four adults has an excellent understanding of how medicines, vaccines and screenings prevent disease. Almost half of Malaysian adults have only a basic or limited level of health literacy, with the lowest rates among older people, those with little formal education and those in rural areas. “ 3HRSOH ¿UVW QHHG WR NQRZ ZK\ SUHYHQ tive care matters,” he said. “Clear, clinically led education helps communities understand how vaccines, medicines and screenings protect them and their families. When individuals XQGHUVWDQG WKH EHQH¿WV WKH\ PDNH EHWWHU choices and that enhances public health as a whole.” In many rural areas, misinformation fills the gap left by scarce knowledge. Some families refuse vaccinations out of fear or rely solely on traditional remedies until illness becomes critical. These are not simply cultural prefer ences, but decisions made without access to clear, trusted information.

B EFORE sunrise in rural Sarawak, a mother wakes her feverish child. The closest clinic is two hours away by longboat and car. The journey costs more than a week’s groceries and when they arrive, the doctor is only in on Fridays. This is the unseen reality of healthcare for millions of Malaysians living far from city hospitals. In Kuala Lumpur, medical care feels H̆ RUWOHVV ZLWK FOLQLFV RQ HYHU\ FRUQHU DQG hospitals minutes away. But in villages scattered across Sabah, Sarawak and the interior of Peninsular Malaysia, access to healthcare is still a matter of distance, cost and luck. Despite decades of progress, gaps remain. According to the Health Ministry, nearly a quarter of Malaysians live in rural areas, yet only around a third of healthcare providers serve them. In some districts, clinics lack full-time doctors. Others have no laboratory, ambulance or pharmacy services, leaving patients to wait or travel further for even basic treatment. These shortcomings are not just in convenient; they are dangerous. Infant mortality among Orang Asli communities LV PRUH WKDQ ¿YH WLPHV WKH QDWLRQDO DYHU age. In Sabah, the doctor-patient ratio is still far below the World Health Organisa tion (WHO) recommended standard of one doctor for every 600 people, standing closer to one for every 2,000 in some districts.

A nurse administering to villagers in rural Sabah under the “Leaving No One Behind” initiative.