title: Telehealth: the backbone of healthcare financing.
abstract: Malaysia, like many other countries faces major challenges in meeting increasing demands with limited resources. Changes in demography, life-style diseases, increasing consumer expectations, new medical technologies and rapid economic growth all fuel demand for more healthcare services. There are problems related to the distribution and delivery of healthcare services, and there is inadequate integration of healthcare delivery and continuity of care is a major concern. Resources tend to be concentrated in the very expensive hospital sector, although services would be cost-effectively and conveniently delivered at primary care level. There is no ideal healthcare system, and how healthcare is supported and organized for service delivery influences the country's social, economic and political well-being. Like many other countries, Malaysia is undergoing health reform in meeting these challenges, and is becoming more reliant on telemedicine and telehealth.
authors.affiliation: International Medical University, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Abu Bakar
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Suleiman
mesh_terms: D003266:Continuity of Patient Care; D019033:Delivery of Health Care, Integrated / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006295:Health Resources / Q000191:economics / Q000600:supply & distribution; D006801:Humans; D008296:Malaysia; D017146:Models, Organizational; D009313:National Health Programs; D017149:Private Sector; D016730:Program Development; D017150:Public Sector; D019114:Remote Consultation / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D019472:Universal Health Insurance