Since independence in 1957, Malaysia has made major health gains for the people, with universal coverage and comprehensive services at relatively low cost. The Ministry of Health Malaysia launched a national Quality Assurance programme in 1985, and a national patient safety council was initiated in 2004. Quality indicators and patient safety goals has been part of the activities of public and private hospitals in Malaysia. Guidelines, activities and data collection on quality and patient safety has been part of the healthcare environment. However more published results on performance in relation to quality and patient safety are needed to evaluate performance of the health system.

Recent studies have shown that the Malaysian health system that has performed well in the last century, has performed less well from 2001 onwards, compared to traditional peer countries. The health system transformation that Malaysia has been working on since the 1980’s need to be pushed forward for Malaysia to adequately address the healthcare challenges facing the country, currently and in the future.

Tan Sri Abu Bakar Suleiman, Chairman, IHH Healthcare PLC and a previous Director General of Health; Malaysia