According to 2021 Ministry of Health data, 81.9 per cent of consumers seeking T&CM services sought traditional Malay medicine, followed by traditional Chinese (44.9 per cent) and traditional Indian medicine (19.9 per cent).

There is a growing interest among Malaysian consumers for T&CM services, but they should only seek treatment from registered service providers to ensure safety, says Ministry of Health Traditional and Complementary Medicine Division principal assistant director, Dr Tajul Iqmal Tajul Arus.

Traditional medicine practitioners who are not registered with the Health Ministry may face legal action, including fines and imprisonment, under the Traditional and Complementary Medicine Act which has now come into effect.

Wellness is the main reason that most Malaysians seek such services (67 per cent), while 15 per cent use such services for treatment. There are also those who access such services for a combination of wellness and treatment (18 per cent).

Almost 30 per cent of users are from urban areas compared with 26.58 per cent from rural areas.

The seven areas governed by the Traditional and Complementary Medicine Act include traditional Malay, Chinese and Indian medicine as well as homeopathy, osteopathy, chiropractic services and Islamic-based treatment/medicine (perubatan Islam).

Dr Tajul Iqmal says professional standards must be applied even though these fields are classified as traditional or complementary medicine because it involves people's lives and can have an impact on health.

As of Jan 17 this year, there were 4541 registered practitioners for traditional Malay medicine, 7091 for traditional Chinese medicine and 310 for traditional Indian medicine. There were also 469 registered practitioners of homeopathy, 446 in the field of chiropractic services and four in osteopathy, while Islamic-based treatment had 1445 registered practitioners.

Unregistered practitioners, those making false claims about their services and those still operating despite receiving orders from the ministry to cease services will face action.

There is a growing interest among Malaysian consumers for T&CM services, but they should only seek treatment from registered service providers to ensure safety. Picture credit: xb100 - Freepik