Many Small Umbrellas: When People With NCDs Don’t Enjoy Universal Health Coverage

While Malaysia can take pride in its level of healthcare services for maternal and child health, as well as for infectious diseases and most acute emergency conditions, the same cannot be said of access to health services for people with non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The provision of care can be uneven depending on certain geographical and socio-economic barriers, while the health system is straining to cope with the increasing burdens of NCDs and the ageing population. Dr Murallitharan Munisamy, Managing Director of the National Cancer Society of Malaysia, and Co-Chair of NCD Malaysia, joins us on the first show of 2023 to highlight the gaps in universal health coverage across the spectrum of NCD care, and why it’s important to have “many small umbrellas” to support people with NCDs, rather than one giant umbrella from a struggling public health sector.

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