Introduce National Insurance Scheme to ensure universal care, says Sarawak DAP
KUCHING (July 5): The Sarawak Democratic Action Party (DAP) has urged the government to introduce a National Insurance Scheme (NIS) to address rising medical inflation and safeguard access to essential care for Malaysians.
Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii's special officer, Brolin Nicholsion, said that healthcare costs are becoming increasingly unaffordable for ordinary citizens.
'This alarming trend underscores the urgent need to explore a comprehensive NIS to ensure no one is left behind when illness strikes,' he said in a statement yesterday.
Brolin added that while existing programmes — like the Social Security Organisation (Socso), Employees' Provident Fund (EPF), MySalam, and Peka B40 — are valuable, they remain fragmented and fail to sufficiently cover the informal workforce, gig workers, and self-employed individuals.
He thus calls for a well-structured NIS to integrate these efforts, pooling contributions from both formal and informal sectors to provide universal access to healthcare, basic income protection, and long-term security for all Malaysians.
According to Brolin, countries like South Korea and China-Taiwan have shown that a national insurance model can succeed with political will and smart design.
'South Korea transformed its fragmented system into a unified National Health Insurance Service (NHIS), covering its entire population through a tiered contribution system.
'Meanwhile, Taiwan had built one of the most efficient single-payer systems in the world, balancing equity, quality and affordability through universal participation and low administrative costs.
'These models demonstrate how Malaysia could also transition toward a sustainable, inclusive healthcare safety net,' he added.
Brolin also emphasised that strong governance and trust via transparent fund management, citizen oversight, and independent audits must be ensured towards this end.
He said the proposed NIS must align with existing systems like Socso and EPF to avoid duplication and overburdening, adding: 'It should start with targeted groups such as B40 gig workers or recent graduates before nationwide implementation.'
'The proposed NIS is not just a healthcare policy, but a nation-building strategy. It will protect vulnerable families from rising costs, empower youth and informal workers with real safety nets, and foster a fairer and more resilient Malaysia.
'The longer we wait, the more people fall through the cracks,' he added. Brolin Nicholsion dap National Insurance Scheme
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