Kuala Lumpur: I welcome the Minister of Health’s Parliamentary reply outlining the various healthcare services currently provided to children living with Cerebral Palsy (CP), including developmental screening and early detection, multidisciplinary treatment and rehabilitation, support for families and caregivers, as well as collaboration with other government agencies and non-governmental organisations.
The Minister also revealed that from 2016 to 2025, a total of 1,076 children with Cerebral Palsy were registered and received early intervention services at Ministry of Health clinics nationwide. While this provides an important snapshot, these figures alone do not reflect the true national burden of Cerebral Palsy, particularly as many patients continue to receive care outside Ministry of Health facilities or may not have been captured within existing reporting systems.
Furthermore, the Minister confirmed that while the Ministry of Health provides clinical services and rehabilitation aids through schemes such as the Tabung Bantuan Perubatan (TBP) and Tabung Kebajikan Perubatan Malaysia (TKPM) based on clinical assessment, direct financial assistance remains under the jurisdiction of other agencies, particularly the Department of Social Welfare (JKM).
While these existing initiatives are welcomed, Malaysia must now move beyond fragmented assistance towards structural reforms that ensure every child living with Cerebral Palsy receives timely, coordinated and lifelong multidisciplinary care.
Firstly, Malaysia should establish a National Cerebral Palsy Registry.
Although the Ministry has recorded 1,076 registered cases receiving early intervention over the past decade, Malaysia still lacks a comprehensive National Cerebral Palsy Registry capable of capturing the true prevalence and long-term outcomes of the condition.
The establishment of such a registry would serve as the cornerstone of evidence-based policymaking by providing accurate data on the prevalence and geographical distribution of Cerebral Palsy in Malaysia, identifying trends and modifiable risk factors, strengthening early diagnosis and intervention, projecting future rehabilitation, educational and social care requirements, supporting clinical research, and ensuring healthcare resources are planned and allocated efficiently based on actual patient needs rather than estimates.
Secondly, the Government should review the relevant provisions under the Employees’ Social Security Act 1969 (Act 4) and the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998 (Act 586) to establish a true “One Healthcare Network” for rehabilitation services.
Children living with Cerebral Palsy often require lifelong multidisciplinary rehabilitation involving rehabilitation physicians, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, orthopaedic specialists, psychologists and nutritionists. Early and intensive rehabilitation during childhood can significantly improve mobility, communication, independence and overall quality of life.
Unfortunately, public rehabilitation services continue to face long waiting times, shortages of specialised rehabilitation professionals, limited access to advanced rehabilitation facilities and disparities in service availability across the country.
At the same time, Malaysia already possesses internationally recognised rehabilitation facilities under PERKESO that are equipped with world-class rehabilitation technology, specialised multidisciplinary teams and modern rehabilitation programmes. These valuable national assets should not remain confined within separate administrative systems.
The Government should therefore review the relevant provisions under the Employees’ Social Security Act 1969 (Act 4), which governs PERKESO’s rehabilitation services, together with the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998 (Act 586) to facilitate greater collaboration between the Ministry of Health, PERKESO Rehabilitation Hospitals and accredited private rehabilitation centres.
This would create a genuine One Healthcare Network, where rehabilitation services are delivered based on patients’ clinical needs rather than institutional boundaries.
This model is already consistent with the Ministry of Health’s existing practice of outsourcing selected medical services to private hospitals to reduce waiting times and improve access to specialist care. The same approach should be extended to rehabilitation services by enabling suitable Cerebral Palsy patients to receive treatment at PERKESO Rehabilitation Hospitals and accredited rehabilitation centres whenever public facilities face capacity constraints.
Children with Cerebral Palsy deserve every opportunity to maximise their potential. By integrating such proposals, Malaysia can build a healthcare system that is more coordinated, equitable and patient-centred, while providing greater support not only to these children but also to the families and caregivers who journey alongside them every day.
Dr Kelvin Yii Lee Wuen
Bandar Kuching MP
29 June 2026
