Limited facilities and shortage of trained professionals could leave thousands without critical services as population ages, says Hospis Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR: Only one in 10 Malaysians who need palliative care can access it – a shortfall that could leave 200,000 patients without support annually by 2030, says Hospis Malaysia.
Tham Su Ming, the NGO’s strategy and communications director, said the country is critically unprepared for the rising demand driven by an ageing population and a surge in non-communicable diseases (NCD), warning that Malaysia is facing a ticking healthcare time bomb.
She explained that the situation is worsened by the limited number of public facilities and the shortage of trained specialists, many of whom have left for better-paying jobs abroad.
“The Health Ministry estimated in 2019 that about 100,000 Malaysians require palliative care each year – but that figure was based on mortality data that may date back to as early as 2014,” she told theSun at the Voices for Hospices 2025 Charity Gala Dinner at the Majestic Hotel recently.
By 2030, 15% of Malaysia’s population will be over 60 and Tham said this demographic shift is expected to trigger a sharp rise in life-limiting illnesses such as cancer, heart failure, kidney failure and dementia.
“If we don’t address this gap urgently, we’ll face a major healthcare crisis as demand doubles,” she warned, adding that the impact extends far beyond patients themselves.
“When someone is very ill, the whole family is affected.
So if we’re talking about 200,000 patients, the number of people emotionally and physically affected is likely to be much higher,” Tham said, highlighting the ripple effect of serious illness on spouses, children and extended families.
The core problem, she stressed, is not just infrastructure but a critical shortage of trained personnel.
“Healthcare is about people.
Palliative care requires doctors, nurses and allied health professionals trained to manage not just pain but also complex physical, emotional and psychological symptoms.”
While many associate palliative care solely with pain relief, Tham emphasised it is both “a science and an art”.
“Pain and symptoms vary drastically between individuals.
Providers need specialist training to deliver care that is effective and compassionate.”
Hospis Malaysia is one of the few NGOs offering community-based palliative care in the Klang Valley, serving around 1,500 patients a year – a fraction of the national need.
“We’re only filling a small part of a much larger gap.
If we don’t scale up services, from community hospices to hospital-based care and train more professionals, we simply won’t be ready.
It’s a crisis waiting to happen,” she warned.
Tham said recruiting and retaining skilled personnel is the organisation’s biggest operational challenge.
“In the last 30 years, we’ve faced many challenges, but the biggest is finding good people we can train to serve, especially nurses.
“They come, they go.
And when they’re good, they get poached by Singapore, the Middle East, the UK and Australia.
We understand it, but it makes building a sustainable care model extremely difficult.”
Tham said addressing this looming crisis requires coordinated efforts to expand services, invest in training and ensure that palliative care is recognised as a national healthcare priority – otherwise, hundreds of thousands of patients and families risk being left without essential support.
