The Rising cost of Healthcare Part 2

This is part of a series about the Rising Cost of Healthcare
Part 1 - Cost versus Standards
Part 2 - Measuring standards
Part 3 - Improving delivery
Part 4 - The PHFCS
Part 5 - Conclusion

Measuring Standards of Health

The total healthcare expenditure of Malaysia is 3.8 % of GDP . It must be noted that developed countries spend about 12-16% of their GDP on health. From available data all our currently accepted health indices (Infant Mortality, Maternal Mortality and Life Expectancy) are almost as good as the developed countries. (Table 3)

	Infant Mortality Rates ( per 1,000 live birth )	Life Expectancy (yrs) Male	Life Expectancy (yrs) females			Crude death rate per 1,000
Indonesia	39	65	69			7.2
Malaysia	10	71	76			4.4
Philippines	28	68	72			5.1
Singapore*	3	77	81			4.4
Thailand	20	68	78			6.8
China	35	69	74			7.1
Japan	3	78	85			7.8

Table 3: Comparative Health Indices for ASEAN Countries, China and Japan
** The Singapore data is for Year 2003, while the others are for Year 2004

Though the cost of healthcare for Malaysia has risen, the fact of the matter is that over the last 3 years (from 2001-2003) it has increased by a mere 0.6%. On the other hand, the health indices, the Infant Mortality Rate and Life Expectancy for both Malaysian males and females, has improved by 2.1%, 0.2yrs and 1.2 yrs respectively. In some states of Malaysia, the Infant Mortality Rate is equivalent to that seen in Singapore and Japan. In fact, this was the conclusion of two independent reports, by the UNDP and WHO.

The bottom line is that Malaysia has a good healthcare system, with equitable, affordable healthcare for all. The present healthcare system, for the money spent is value for money.