OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY FOR MALAYSIA - A WAKE-UP CALL

Received 2021-07-23; Accepted 2021-09-29; Published 2022-07-01

Authors

  • Siew Yim Loh Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
  • Gail Boniface School of Healthcare Sciences, Cardiff University, United Kingdom.
  • Sharon Britnell Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22452/jummec.vol25no2.1

Abstract

Occupational therapy contributes to improving the health and wellbeing of individuals through active participation in everyday activities within a holistic care model. However, its development in Malaysia is stagnated and stifled by numerous internal and external factors. This paper aims to promote literacy about the profession by highlighting its scope of practice, the mandatory (national and international federation) and the non-evidence-based (medical hegemony) governing system and the workforce census in Malaysia. We highlight the disadvantages of an outdated medical hegemony system on the profession in Malaysia. The increase in autonomy through professional governance from its National and World Federation Board and the promotion of quality occupational therapy programmes are necessary for an increasing workforce. These actions can pave the way for affordable quality specialists’ care for various clients across the lifespan, institutional needs, and Malaysia’s public health sector.

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Published

2022-07-01

Issue

Vol. 25 No. 2 (2022)

Section

Research article

License

All authors agree that the article, if editorially accepted for publication, shall be licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 to allow others to freely access, copy and use research provided the author is correctly attributed, unless otherwise stated. All articles are available online without charge or other barriers to access. However, anyone wishing to reproduce large quantities of an article (250+) should inform the publisher. Any opinion expressed in the articles are those of the authors and do not reflect that of the University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.