Lau Charlene, Pickersgill Martyn
Independent Scholar, Kuching, Malaysia.
The University of Edinburgh, Usher Institute of Population Health Sciences & Informatics, Edinburgh, UK.
J Glob Health Rep. 2019;3. doi: 10.29392/joghr.3.e2019003. Epub 2018 Dec 10.
Since its introduction in 1991, Malaysian palliative care has made significant progress, with an estimated 26 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and 68 government hospitals providing palliative care facilities and services nationwide. Distinct models between these sectors create unique challenges for each sector in progressing palliative care, requiring different strategies to address these.
Drawing on existing literature available on palliative care in Malaysia and interviews from 10 management and healthcare staff of Malaysian palliative care NGOs, this article casts new light on the field. Specifically, the paper explores the various health-related and policy-related challenges NGOs have identified in progressing palliative care in the country, as well as the current and future strategies they employ to address these.
Despite immense progress in Malaysian palliative care, existing services cannot meet the current and projected demand. The interviews identify numerous barriers hindering Malaysian palliative care, including financial matters, perception issues, logistical concerns and challenging government policies.
Increased advocacy, establishment of specialised palliative care education, and greater co-operation between different sectors are strongly recommended to help develop palliative care in Malaysia.
自1991年引入以来，马来西亚的姑息治疗取得了显著进展，估计有26个非政府组织（NGO）和68家政府医院在全国范围内提供姑息治疗设施和服务。这些部门之间不同的模式给姑息治疗的推进给每个部门带来了独特的挑战，需要不同的策略来应对这些挑战。
本文借鉴了马来西亚姑息治疗的现有文献，并采访了马来西亚姑息治疗非政府组织的10名管理人员和医护人员，为该领域带来了新的视角。具体而言，本文探讨了非政府组织在推进该国姑息治疗过程中所发现的各种与健康相关和与政策相关的挑战，以及它们目前和未来用于应对这些挑战的策略。
尽管马来西亚的姑息治疗取得了巨大进展，但现有服务仍无法满足当前和预计的需求。访谈确定了阻碍马来西亚姑息治疗的众多障碍，包括财务问题、观念问题、后勤问题和具有挑战性的政府政策。
强烈建议加强宣传、建立专门的姑息治疗教育，并加强不同部门之间的合作，以帮助发展马来西亚的姑息治疗。
