For truly universal healthcare, utilise GP clinics

MALAYSIA was a signatory to the Alma-Ata Declaration in 1978. It was the first international declaration underlining the importance of primary healthcare in promoting and protecting the health of all people.

At the declaration’s 40th anniversary in 2018 that was marked with a global conference in Kazakhstan, world leaders again reaffirmed that strong primary healthcare is essential in achieving universal health coverage. The World Health Organisation has declared that “all roads lead to universal health coverage”; universal health coverage means that all individuals and communities must be able to receive the health services they need without suffering financial hardship.