PRIME Minister Datuk Anwar Ibrahim’s Madani Economy vision will achieve minimum success if its proposed structural reforms to re-build and strengthen the Malaysian economy overlooks the role of health and healthcare.
Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy chief executive Azrul Mohd Khalib has earmarked three critical areas where this could have been done: (i) challenges to the economy; (ii) investment in increasing Malaysia’s competitiveness; and (iii) building the care economy.
“Health is a vital component of the economy. Unfortunately, Malaysia is in the midst of a non-communicable diseases (NCD) crisis. Malaysians are increasingly in ill health, living with and dying of chronic diseases,” he revealed in a statement.
“The Health Ministry’s (MOH) 2019 findings indicated that 3.9 million adults lived with diabetes, 6.4 million had high blood pressure and 8 million with high cholesterol. Around 1.7 million Malaysians had all three chronic conditions.
“About half of adults are overweight or obese. NCDs accounted for 67% of premature deaths and 70% of diseases. Dealing with cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease alone is costing the country at least RM 22.5 bil annually.”
Meanwhile, the MCA has hit out at the Madani Economy, stressing that long-term economic policies are needed instead of “micro-economics” akin to another election manifesto.
“As a governing coalition, the government needs to set objectives for macro-economic development instead of moving towards ‘intervention in the consumer market’ or ‘individual economy’,” justified MCA National Youth deputy chairman Tan Chee Hiong.
“What Malaysia needs now is a breakthrough amidst the global economic slowdown. How should Malaysia respond to the ringgit’s depreciation? What is Malaysia’s macro-economic policy? What directions are being formulated for our industries? How should Malaysia differentiate our position within Southeast Asia?”
Added the MCA Alor Setar Division chairman: “The unity government needs to reflect as to whether our nation’s current situation is a result of their inaction which has caused dissatisfaction to spill over.” – July 27, 2023
Main pic credit: Bernama
