Preparing for an ageing Malaysia.

Falling birth rates and rising life expectancies require a higher degree of healthcare. We need to start thinking and formulating a comprehensive healthcare system to face this pertinent issue. The proposed universal healthcare system being mooted by the Health Ministry called 1Care is an important development along these lines. It would be in our best interest to scrutinise this development closely.

ACCORDING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF STATISTICS, Malaysia's population will peak at 57 million in 2090 and the country could become an ageing society as early as 2024, if current demographic trends continue.

Part of the problem currently hounding the developed countries is low or stagnating birth rates and an ageing population. The productivity of their economies is minimal, but the cost of healthcare and other social services keeps increasing.

Take Switzerland for example. It is a capitalist country with a very strong, comprehensive social security system. The insurance-based social security system is divided into five areas, namely, old-age, survivors' and invalidity, protection against the consequences of illness and accidents, income compensation allowances in case of service and in case of maternity, unemployment insurance and family allowances.

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