Health White Paper aims to tackle Malaysia's healthcare issues systematically

One of the more difficult and controversial healthcare issues that requires putting politics aside is the need to increase the fees at public hospitals and clinics. — AZHAR MAHFOF/The Star

It is a bit of a cliche by now to say that the Covid-19 pandemic and its aftershocks were unprecedented, that we are still bearing the adverse health and socioeconomic outcomes, even as we attempt to live in a world endemic with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

It has also been said that the crisis has highlighted the importance of having a robust healthcare system – one that will not only be able to withstand future infectious disease outbreaks, but is also fit-for-purpose as we deal with ever- increasing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and escalating healthcare-related costs.