Page 11 - NHMS2015-tradisional and complementary medicine volume IV

Traditional and Complementary Medicine (T&CM)
VOLUME IV

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The 2015 National Health Morbidity Survey was conducted throughout Malaysia from
March until May 2015 involving all age groups. The objectives were to study the
prevalence of T&CM practices used by the Malaysian population with consultation, to
describe the reasons for T&CM use, to determine the place where the T&CM practices
are obtained; and to determine the amount of expenditure and the amount the public is
willing to pay for the services of the T&CM practices. The T&CM practices were
specifically defined according to the T&CM Act 2013. The survey used a Two Stage
Stratified Random Sampling design and was administered using a structured
questionnaire. A response rate of 92% was achieved.

Key findings

An estimated 29.25% of the population had ever used any T&CM practices with
consultation and 21.51% of the population used T&CM within the last twelve months
with consultation. For the use within the last twelve months, females showed
significantly higher T&CM use (23.89%) compared to males (19.33%) and the urban
population had higher percentage of use (22.64%) compared to rural population
(18.23%).

T&CM practices are mainly used to maintain wellness, as shown in all top five preferred
practices; Malay massage (41.92%), Chinese herbs (13.69%), Malay herbs (10.07%),
Malay cupping (6.45%) and tuina (4.49%). When T&CM was used as treatment, the
intended use was for primary and complementary treatment. The number of people who
intended the use of T&CM as an alternative treatment was less than 20%. This study
found that T&CM were often used for minor illnesses such as myalgia, joint and muscle
ache, back pain and cough.

The users obtained services of T&CM at various facilities depending on the practices
offered. Traditional Chinese medicine, traditional Indian medicine, homeopathy and
complementary therapy were practices that are mainly obtained at practitioners‟
premises. Traditional Malay medicine practices, in particular Malay massage and Malay
herbs, were provided at practitioner‟s house and the user‟s own house.

Although some of the population had paid a higher amount of fee compared to what
they were willing to pay, the median values of out-of-pocket expenditure for the majority
of T&CM practices were nearly similar to the median amount that the users were willing
to pay.

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NATIONAL HEALTH AND MORBIDITY SURVEY 2015 MINISTRY OF HEALTH MALAYSIA