British Couple Praise Malaysia’s Accessible And Affordable Healthcare
They explained that in the UK, they would need to make an appointment at a clinic first and wait for a long time to get their Typhoid vaccination.
Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter, or Telegram and WhatsApp channels for the latest stories and updates.
Malaysia generally has a good healthcare system. The government invests heavily in medical infrastructure, leading to well-trained medical staff and modern facilities.
While private healthcare is also available, it tends to be more expensive.
Travel content creators Bob and Eve recently shared on TikTok their experience getting a Typhoid vaccine injection in Kuala Lumpur. The couple visited the Segambut branch of Klinik Dr. Prevents to get the shot and were impressed with the medical service here.
“This is a bit of a novelty because back home in the UK, you have to make an appointment and wait probably ages, and it’s not easy. But here, we just walked in and we’re gonna get it. Perfect,” Eve said.
The couple were in and out of the clinic after just a few minutes without having to wait for an appointment or a long queue.
Outside the clinic, Bob said: “That has to be one of the easiest vaccinations I think I’ve ever had. We have our vaccination certificates here, and it costs just RM80 per person. This is ten times better than in England.”
@bevetravels Getting typhoid vaccine in Malaysia! 🇲🇾 #kualalumpur #malaysia ♬ original sound – Bob & Eve
Malaysia’s healthcare compared to the UK’s
Malaysia’s healthcare and the UK’s has some key similarities and a few major differences.
For example, Malaysia utilises a two-tier healthcare system: public (government-subsidized) and private healthcare. The UK’s system on the other hand is primarily public under the National Healthcare Service (NHS), which is fully funded through taxation.
The NHS provides healthcare to all legal residents of the UK but technically, it is not “free” since they are paying for it through taxation. Meanwhile in Malaysia, seeing a public healthcare provider only incurs nominal fees ranging from RM1 to RM5 thanks to government subsidies.
Aside from that, patients in UK are reported to suffer from longer wait times, even just for primary healthcare, as they have a lower number of doctors per capita. However, Malaysia has also been suffering a shortage of doctors since 2016, according to healthcare rights group Code Blue.
The group credits the shortage of doctors to rapid expansion of medical schools in the 1990s and 2010s, which produced a “glut” of doctors. The surge in medical schools and graduates that initially aimed to address the nation’s healthcare needs created a bottleneck in job placements which led to uncertainty and challenges for young doctors.
Today, the country faces a potential shortage of medical professionals due to declining interest in medical education and increasing brain drain to other nations.
One other key difference is Malaysia has become a significant destination for medical tourism, attracting international patients who are seeking affordable and quality healthcare. The UK on the other hand, does not prioritize medical tourism.
Share your thoughts with us via TRP’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Threads.
