# Ministry of Health Malaysia (KKM) > The Ministry of Health Malaysia (Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia, KKM) is the federal ministry that runs the country's public health system — 149 public hospitals and a nationwide clinic network delivered for a nominal RM1 outpatient fee — and regulates medicines, medical devices and private healthcare. - Category: government - Language: en - Status: published - Updated: 2026-08-14 - Canonical: https://negaraku.md/en/government/ministry-of-health-moh --- When you walk into a Malaysian government clinic, hand over a RM1 note, and walk out with your consultation and your medicine covered, you are using one of the most heavily subsidised health systems in the world. Running it is the **Ministry of Health Malaysia** — *Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia* (**KKM**), or **MOH** in English — the federal ministry responsible for public health, medical care, medical research, health promotion, pharmaceutical and medical-device regulation, dental care and patient safety. It is headquartered at Complex E (Blocks E1, E3, E6, E7 and E10) in the Federal Government Administrative Centre, 62590 Putrajaya. ## Who runs the ministry? KKM has the dual leadership structure common to Malaysian ministries — a political head and a top civil-service head. | Role | Nature | Holder | |---|---|---| | Minister of Health | Political head | Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad (since 12 December 2023) | | Director-General of Health | Senior civil-service and technical head | Datuk Dr Mahathar Abd Wahab (effective 29 May 2025) | The **Director-General of Health** (*Ketua Pengarah Kesihatan*) is the ministry's chief technical and professional authority. Dr Mahathar succeeded Datuk Dr Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan, who retired on 1 May 2025 after serving in the post since April 2023. ## How big is the public system? Malaysia runs a mixed system: a large, tax-funded public sector operated by KKM alongside a private sector. The public sector operates **149 public hospitals with 45,964 beds** — about **71% of all hospital beds nationally** — compared with 212 private hospitals and 18,779 private beds. Demand has grown sharply. Patient arrivals at MOH facilities rose **18%, from 57.9 million in 2020 to 68.2 million in 2023**. In 2023 the public sector recorded roughly 2.7 million hospital admissions and 19.6 million outpatient arrivals. Delivering that care is a workforce that, on figures reported in 2025, included around 32,558 medical officers, 8,515 specialist doctors, 69,801 nurses and 15,251 assistant medical officers. ## How is public healthcare financed and priced? The MOH system functions as a **tax-financed, heavily subsidised national health service** open to all Malaysians, with a policy aim of geographical access to a health facility within an average 5 km radius. The prices are nominal. Public facilities charge only **RM1 (about USD0.30), inclusive of medication**, for an outpatient attendance. Even inpatient care is capped: the maximum billable in a **third-class ward is RM500**, inclusive of all procedures, medication, diagnostics and ward charges. ## What does KKM regulate beyond its own hospitals? Alongside running public facilities, KKM is the sector's regulator. It administers the **Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998 (Act 586)**, which sets minimum quality and safety standards for private healthcare facilities and includes a schedule capping the fees doctors may charge for procedures. Its work is carried out through a range of agencies and bodies, including: - the **National Institutes of Health (NIH)**, with institutes for medical research, public health and health systems research; - the **Malaysian Health Promotion Board**; - the **Medical Device Authority**; and - the **Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council**. ## Where did the ministry come from? Malaysia's health institutions predate independence. The **Institute for Medical Research (IMR)** was established in **1900** to study tropical infectious diseases such as malaria and beriberi, and at independence in 1957 the country had just **65 hospitals**. For two periods (1956–1957 and 1960–1962) the ministry operated as the "Ministry of Health and Community Welfare"; its first minister in that form was Tun V. T. Sambanthan (1957–1959). From **1963** it took the name **Ministry of Health** under minister Abdul Rahman Talib. ## What's next For official service information, facility directories and current leadership, the ministry's portal is at **moh.gov.my**. Several figures above — clinic counts, the current fee schedule and the latest workforce total — should be confirmed against MOH's own *Health Facts* and the relevant Fees Orders (see the verification notes); a later NegaraKu.md pass will wire this page to related topics on specific health laws and agencies. ## Sources - Ministry of Health (Malaysia) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Health_(Malaysia) (Wikipedia) - Dr Mahathar Abd Wahab appointed as Malaysia's new Director-General of Health — https://cancermatters.cancer.org.my/2025/05/29/dr-mahathar-abd-wahab-appointed-as-malaysias-new-director-general-of-health/ (Cancer Matters (National Cancer Society Malaysia)) - Budget 2026: Health Spending Growth Slows, MOH Gets RM46.5 Bil — https://codeblue.galencentre.org/2025/10/budget-2026-health-spending-growth-slows-moh-gets-rm46-5-bil/ (CodeBlue (Galen Centre)) - Budget 2025: Health Ministry gets second highest allocation at RM45.3bil — https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/10/18/budget-2025-health-ministry-gets-second-highest-allocation-at-rm453bil (The Star) - Patient Arrivals In MOH Rose 18% From 2020 To 2023 — https://codeblue.galencentre.org/2025/09/patient-arrivals-in-moh-rose-18-from-2020-to-2023/ (CodeBlue (Galen Centre)) - Financing Universal Coverage in Malaysia: a case study — https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3381695/ (BMC Public Health (PMC)) - Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998 (Act 586) — https://www.moh.gov.my/en/publications-and-reports/policies-act-policies-guide-lines/akta-kesihatan/senarai-akta-kesihatan/private-healthcare-facilities-and-services-act-1998 (Ministry of Health Malaysia) - Sejarah Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia (KKM) — https://www.mywilayah.com/2020/03/sejarah-kementerian-kesihatan-malaysia.html (MyWilayah (citing MOH brief history)) --- Source of truth: https://github.com/negaraku-md/NegaraKu.md License: CC BY-SA 4.0