As both a doctor and a human being, I firmly believe that every individual who is ill should seek help and receive proper treatment.
Although not every condition can be fully cured, the vast majority can be effectively managed.
Being diagnosed with an illness is often overwhelming and frequently met with denial, yet I remain convinced that accepting our vulnerabilities is the essential first step toward recovery and well-being.
Observing various unsettling realities across our nation, I feel compelled to bring these truths to light so that we may delve deeper together and collaborate on viable solutions.
Sickness Of Our People: Chronic Illnesses On The Rise
As a nephrologist, my clinical work centres on managing chronic kidney disease. I guide patients along every stage of this path: from early diagnosis through to end-stage renal disease, where dialysis or kidney transplantation often becomes necessary.
While I make every effort to slow disease progression, the task would be far less daunting if diabetes were not so widespread, considering it accounts for over 60 per cent of all chronic kidney disease cases in our country. Regrettably, the health profile of the population continues to deteriorate.
Data from the International Diabetes Federation indicates that approximately 21 per cent of adult Malaysians — around 4.8 million people, or roughly one in five — are currently living with diabetes.
This puts Malaysia among the highest in Asia and at the top of Southeast Asia for diabetes prevalence.
Compounding this high rate of diabetes, Malaysia also faces a major obesity crisis. Over half of the adult population is either overweight or obese, with 23.1 per cent classified as living with obesity and an additional 30.5 per cent categorised as overweight.
Yes, Malaysians are generally sick and we do not bother to take good care of ourselves. Despite the widespread availability of medical information and public health campaigns, a culture of health apathy persists, where preventive care, regular health screenings, and lifestyle modifications are frequently neglected until serious complications arise.
Sickness Of Our Communities: Illusion Of Confidence
I vividly recall a patient with chronic kidney disease and liver cancer who balked at an outpatient clinic bill of RM500, of which my consultation fee was just RM105. Yet, that same patient willingly travelled to Kuala Lumpur and paid RM80,000 for unproven alternative stem cell injections.
It is remarkable how easily vulnerable patients place their trust in self-proclaimed online experts over qualified clinicians standing directly before them.
This phenomenon is driven in part by cognitive shortcuts: when an individual projects absolute certainty and polish online, our brains naturally mistake that loudness for authority.
The Dunning-Kruger effect amplifies this trap, giving the least-informed voices the most convincing confidence.
Furthermore, digital forums create supportive peer communities; a stranger declaring, “I experienced the exact same thing”, often feels far more empathetic and reassuring than a doctor quietly reviewing a computer screen.
While I do not fault my patients for seeking hope, decisive action is necessary to curb unlicensed premises and fraudulent online platforms that exploit the sick.
Paradoxically, regulatory bodies like the Private Medical Practice Control Branch (CKAP) rigorously inspect and penalise legitimate medical facilities while unlicensed entities peddling unproven cures operate without oversight.
Indeed, a deep malaise affects our community. Alternative treatments and dietary supplements have become the primary resort for managing health conditions, while patients increasingly use search engines and artificial intelligence tools to interrogate and dispute their doctors’ medical advice.
Yet, remarkably, many eagerly purchase unverified supplements and alternative remedies online, completely unbothered by the total absence of clinical evidence.
Sickness Of Our Politics: Root Of inertia
In our nation, political leaders prioritise campaigning for the upcoming election over crafting meaningful policies for future generations.
They address pressing societal issues with expedient, short-term fixes designed to secure votes rather than provide enduring leadership. They are more concerned about winning the election next year than whether our nation will be better in the next 10 years.
In my 51 years of life, I have yet to encounter a courageous statesman willing to champion difficult truths simply because it is the morally right course, even when they are politically wrong.
Critical systemic challenges — spanning health care, national unity, economic stability, and education — are consistently ignored or temporarily patched with politically convenient measures instead of fundamental, feasible and lasting solutions that benefit all fellow Malaysians.
Decades-long issues such as brain drain, wage stagnation, racial inequities, and overwhelmed public health care facilities remain unaddressed by viable, long-term strategies.
Instead of establishing concrete solutions, politicians routinely default to short-term appeasement. Consequently, each election cycle drags the country into recurring political quagmire, where incoming administrations focus on introducing new policies rather than building sustainable progress.
We remain overly consumed by contentious debates surrounding religion and race, often blinding us to the far more urgent issues confronting Malaysia.
Regrettably, those who dare to speak uncomfortable truths are frequently dismissed or branded as racists based on their skin colour rather than the merits of their arguments.
As Archbishop Desmond Tutu wisely noted, “Differences are not intended to separate, to alienate. We are different precisely in order to realize our need for one another.”
Only when Malaysians collectively recognise that we share a common destiny — rising or falling together — can our nation truly stand proud.
Sickness Of Our Economy: Subsidy Mindset
Health care professionals, including doctors and nurses, are increasingly overwhelmed after the Covid-19 pandemic. Long queues form outside public health care facilities daily.
Meanwhile, annual medical inflation in the private sector routinely exceeds 10 per cent, driving more people toward public hospitals as private care becomes an unaffordable luxury for average Malaysians.
Despite public hospitals grappling with severe understaffing and deteriorating infrastructure, the government continues to allocate RM40 billion (the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) budget in 2026 is RM46 billion) toward fuel subsidies alone in 2026, alongside numerous other subsidy programmes.
By directing massive funds toward fuel subsidies, we are effectively consuming an amount nearly equivalent to the entire national health care budget.
These resources would be far better utilised to enhance health care across the country, specifically by upgrading ageing medical infrastructure and improving remuneration for health care personnel.
While providing assistance to underprivileged Malaysians in genuine need is necessary, aid should take the form of targeted assistance rather than blanket policies.
A clear plan and strategic timeline must be established to gradually guide citizens toward self-reliance and reduce long-term dependence on subsidies.
As Charles Murray, the author of Losing Ground, observed, “The lesson of history is that you do not get rid of poverty by giving people money.”
Handouts do not solve underlying economic issues; instead, they diminish personal responsibility. The root causes of poverty and low wages must be tackled through structural economic reforms.
Conclusion
We Malaysians are at a kairos moment in an epoch, a critical juncture demanding a fundamental choice: to unite and prosper as a single nation, or to perish together.
Almost 70 years post-independence, we face two paths: remain trapped in endless squabbles over historical entitlement, or stand united to forge a prosperous future for upcoming generations.
The decision rests entirely in our hands. Our society is gravely ill — terminally so — unless we discard mutual prejudices, reject the divisive rhetoric of politicians, and commit to advancing together as a resilient and healthy nation.
The author is a consultant nephrologist and physician.
- This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of CodeBlue.
