Physiotherapy clinics could soon access Mara financing to expand healthcare entrepreneurship in underserved rural and B40 communities, a deputy minister says.
PETALING JAYA: Physiotherapy clinics may soon qualify for Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) financing, marking a potential expansion of Putrajaya’s push to grow healthcare-related entrepreneurship, particularly in rural and underserved areas.
Deputy Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Rubiah Wang said the ministry is assessing the inclusion of physiotherapy under Mara’s professional financing schemes, which currently support medical, dental and pharmaceutical practices.
“Mara has special programmes for professional entrepreneurs, including the medical sector, such as UNI Clinics, dental and pharmaceutical sectors, and physiotherapy is a new proposal that can be supported.
“This programme also provides sponsorship or loans for doctors who wish to open clinics in urban and rural areas, as well as for several other professional sectors.”
Rubiah was responding to Bakri Jamaluddin (Tangga Batu-PN), who sought clarity on whether the ministry planned to introduce grants or payment mechanisms to help establish physiotherapy clinics in rural areas, particularly to serve vulnerable and B40 communities.
She said the ministry is also positioning Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) graduates as part of a feeder pool into professional entrepreneurship, including healthcare-linked businesses.
Entrepreneurship, Rubiah said, has been embedded as a core component across TVET institutions under the ministry, with 442 graduates recorded and cumulative student sales reaching RM120 million between 2016 and 2025.
Support extended to graduates includes Mara financing, access to business premises, incubation facilities, as well as training and advisory services to help new ventures stabilise and grow.
She added that the ministry has been implementing the Start Right Programme (PSR) since 2021 as a catalyst for youths, including TVET graduates, to venture into technical entrepreneurship.
Under the programme, participants receive entrepreneurship training, equipment sets and start-up capital of RM20,000, along with guidance and monitoring for 24 months to help them generate sustainable revenue.
