Malaysia’s elderly care industry: Ready or not?


ON April 20, 2026, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad shared findings from the 2025 National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS). He highlighted that only 14.7% of elderly Malaysians are ageing healthily. This is worrying considering that by 2048 Malaysia will have become an aged nation with more than 14% of the population aged 65 and above.

Among the strategies proposed during the survey’s launch was the introduction of long-term care insurance. But even with reform in how we finance long-term care, is Malaysia’s care industry prepared to meet the demand for such insurance?

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