By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, April 11: Deputy Premier of Sarawak Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian has expressed concern over the possible impact of United States-imposed tariffs on Malaysia’s healthcare sector, particularly on medical supplies and insurance costs.
Although he said the matter falls under the purview of the Federal Ministry of Health (MOH), Dr Sim stressed that the issue will likely be discussed during upcoming meetings, including one scheduled next week regarding the cancer hospital project.
A recording of his remarks to the media was made available to DayakDaily after he attended the Colorectal Cancer Awareness Campaign 2025 held at Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) today.
“This (US tariffs) is under the authority of the Minister of Health in Kuala Lumpur, and I don’t want to say something that contradicts him without knowing all the facts,” he said when asked about the effect of US tariffs on pharmacies.
Dr Sim noted that the rising cost of healthcare, especially in relation to insurance, is already evident.
“These are very important topics that we will discuss, because it affects insurance costs, which are already going up. Everyone knows it. None of us are happy about it. But no insurance company can operate at a loss—that’s just reality,” he pointed out.
He highlighted Malaysia’s reliance on imported medical products and equipment, many of which are sourced from the United States, Europe, and increasingly China.
“A lot of our medicines, devices, and equipment come from overseas. I wish we could manufacture them locally in Sarawak—but we can’t, at least not yet. That’s why we need to talk about this,” he said.
While acknowledging the improvements in product quality from countries like China, Dr Sim reiterated that innovation and high-quality healthcare products remain concentrated in developed nations.
“The biggest expenditure for any government in developed countries is healthcare. In Malaysia, we have not caught up—not because Malaysians or Sarawakians are healthier, but because we simply haven’t invested enough.”
He added that Sarawak currently faces a shortage of doctors, with fewer than 2,000 in the State.
“If the world spends so much on healthcare and we don’t, then either the global standards are wrong—or we need to rethink our approach. And it’s likely the latter,” he said. – DayakDaily
