{
  "id": 7205333,
  "title": "Reformasi kesihatan ambil masa, momentum mesti dikekalkan, kata pakar",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/13/reformasi-kesihatan-ambil-masa-momentum-mesti-dikekalkan-kata-pakar-7205333",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-13T23:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/bahasa/tempatan/2026/09/14/reformasi-kesihatan-ambil-masa-momentum-mesti-dikekalkan-kata-pakar"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Malaysians should not expect immediate results from new initiatives aimed at reducing healthcare costs, as structural and institutional reform typically takes years to show impact, according to Dr June Choon from Sunway University. Dr Choon, who leads the pharmacy school at the university, emphasized that initiatives like RESET and MediAsas plan require long-term political strategy, policy debates, budget discussions, and implementation planning before benefits are realized by patients. \"However, being cautious should not be a reason to move too slowly without reasonable justification,\" Dr Choon stated. The core success of the reform agenda can be measured by whether it leads to better and more equitable access to healthcare for patients. The RESET framework encompasses five strategic pillars to systematically address escalating healthcare costs, including improving medical insurance and health insurance/takaful, strengthening the digital health ecosystem, expanding affordable treatment options, and changing payment methods to service providers. MediAsas, on the other hand, is a voluntary private health insurance and takaful initiative aimed at making private health protection more accessible, affordable, and portable, complementing Malaysia's publicly-funded healthcare system. Speaking at the recent Healthcare Transformation Transformation Symposium, Health Transformation Office Director Dr Yap Wei Aun further stressed that MediAsas is just one part of the broader RESET agenda to strengthen the private healthcare ecosystem, complementing ongoing efforts to modernize the public healthcare system. Dr Choon also referenced Malaysia's pioneering 2005-2006 healthcare reform program, which reportedly prevented around 12,650 HIV infections and saved RM47 million in healthcare costs between 2006 and 2013. According to Dr Choon, HIV cases declined from 6,978 in 2002 to 3,393 in 2013, while the percentage of injectable drug use-related cases, which accounted for about 74% in 2002, also decreased significantly in subsequent years. \"Reform takes patience. Benefits only become apparent years later, which is why reform needs sufficient time.\" However, Dr Choon stressed the importance of political continuity to ensure a solid foundation yields results, warning that frequent health minister changes since a few years ago could cause reform efforts to stall, be delayed, or start anew. He emphasized that responsibility for the RESET strategy and MediAsas plan cannot rest solely on one minister. \"It requires sustained commitment across parties and constituencies that are protected.\" Dr Choon also noted that the reform effort directly addresses long-standing structural constraints, particularly the fragmented funding system stemming from previous policies. He highlighted that Malaysia's public healthcare system is largely funded through general taxes, causing the Ministry of Health to compete annually with other ministries for budget allocations. \"If sufficient funds for a reform are not earmarked and no one is truly accountable for the outcome, implementation will be slow,\" he explained. Dr Choon supported the creation of a dedicated and sustainable health financing mechanism, which he considers the \"most crucial pillar of reform.\" Health analyst Chua Hong Teck agreed and described the ministry's long-term strategy as a necessary change. \"Healthcare reform is a marathon, not a sprint,\" he said. \"People should not expect reform to succeed within a matter of months. Fundamental changes can take years, or even a generation.\" Chua, who once headed the National Health Transformation Division at the Prime Minister's Department, also pointed out that the Ministry of Health's broad functions can distract personnel from implementing reforms, focusing more on day-to-day operations rather than long-term changes. He added that MediAsas should not be viewed as a sole comprehensive solution. According to Chua, the plan needs to be implemented alongside other components in RESET, such as price rationalization and shifting towards a diagnosis-based payment system, to effectively tackle healthcare cost inflation.",
  "summary": "Dr June Choon dari Sunway University berkata RESET dan MediAsas memerlukan penelitian politik, sokongan perundangan serta pembiayaan mampan untuk memastikan reformasi kesihatan berjaya.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Reformasi kesihatan ambil masa, momentum mesti dikekalkan, kata pakar",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/13/reformasi-kesihatan-ambil-masa-momentum-mesti-dikekalkan-kata-pakar",
        "published": "2026-09-13T23:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}