(Excerpts from Malaysia’s country statement at the 44th Session of the United Nations Commission on Population and Development, 11-15 April 2011, New York)
Fertility among Malaysian women is declining faster than expected due to the increase in the mean age at first marriage for female that has risen from 22.0 years in 1970 to 25.3 years in 2004, (Chart 1). Malaysia’s total fertility rate (TFR) is expected to reach the replacement level by year 2015. Malaysia hopes to sustain the current fertility rate and not let it fall below replacement level. Sustaining the current TFR of 2.3 is one of the major challenges that have to be monitored as it can lead to contraction of labour supply, rapid aging of the population and other social implications.
Experience shows that interventions to raise fertility through incentives have not been successful. Hence, Malaysia has since the late 1990’s, put in place strategies to ensure fertility is sustained at the current level. Emphasis is on family development; which puts people as the centre of development. The Government has introduced a National Family Policy in December 2010 that will put family perspectives in socio-economic development (Chart 2).
To ensure that the Millennium Development Goal 5 (MDG 5) is achievable, Malaysia has scaled up its efforts to reduce the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) through allocation of resources for health care, access to professional care during pregnancies and childbirth, and increasing access to quality family planning and services. The MMR for Malaysia showed an impressive decline from 140 per 100,000 live births in 1970 to 30 in 2008 and we are on our way to achieving our target of 11 by the year 2015. Antenatal coverage has reached 94 percent in 2008.
Malaysian families are provided with affordable and acceptable methods of contraception through a network of service providers including the Government, NGOs and the private sector. The contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) among married couples, however, has stagnated at around 50 – 52 per cent in the past 20 years compared to about 33 per cent in the mid 1970’s. Unmet need for modern methods is also a cause for concern as it has risen only from 25 percent in 1988 to 36.2 percent in 2004. To address the stagnant CPR and unmet need for family planning, relevant programmes have been introduced.
Malaysia has taken affirmative action with regards to the reproductive and sexual health needs of adolescents and young people. The National Policy on Reproductive Health and Social Education and its accompanying Plan of Action approved in November 2009 will further pave the way for more accessible reproductive, sexual and social health information and services for in-school, out-of-school and most at risk youths. Information and skills on adolescent sexual and reproductive health would also be integrated into the National Service Programme curriculum, which covers more than 100,000 school leavers each year. In addition, The Ministry of Education has introduced sex education (PEERS) in primary schools beginning this year. Adolescent friendly centers, which are managed by young people, have also been established by both the Government and NGOs.
With regard to HIV/ AIDS, the Government has since 2006, provided first- line treatment free of charge for all patients, at government hospitals and clinics. Of great concern to Malaysia now is the feminization of the HIV epidemic. We take cognizance of the linkage between HIV and reproductive health and appropriate programs have been strengthened in the New National Strategic Plan on AIDS for 2011 – 2015.
The 44th session of the United Nations Commission on Population and development (UNCPD) adopted the Resolution on Fertility, Reproductive Health and development and decided the special theme for its 46th session in 2013 will be “new Trends in migration: demographic aspects” and the theme of its 47th session in 2014 will devote to an “assessment of the status of implementation of the Programme of action of the International Conference on Population and development.
Reproductive cancers are still a concern. As such the government has made available early detection of breast and cervical cancers at all government facilities, which are supplemented by the NGOs and private sector. To ensure that young girls are protected from cervical cancer, Malaysia has included HPV vaccination in our National Immunisation Programme.
Malaysia has set its goal of becoming a high incomes country by the year 2020, where development is people centric. Four pillars towards Vision 2020 have been introduced; i.e. The 1Malaysia Concept (People First, Performance Now), the Government Transformation Programme, the Economic Transformation Programme and the Tenth Malaysia Plan (2011- 2015).
Download: Popinfo Issue 1/2011
