MIH514 - Cross-Cultural Perspectives Module 5 - SLP Essay

MIH514 - Cross-Cultural Perspectives Module 5 - SLP - Essay Example 1 - 13). This shows how committed the government is to the expansion and development of health care. The number of older people in Malaysia is constantly rising, and as a result, the Malaysian Health Ministry has embarked on efforts aimed at attracting more foreign investment and overhauling the system. The system of health care in Malaysia is widespread and efficient. The private and universal health care systems in the country coexist. In 2005, the infant mortality rate was 10, which goes on to show that the overall healthcare in Malaysia is efficient (Ariff & Beng 2006, pp. 2-8). Malaysia’s population consists of three main ethnic groups that include the Malays, Indian and Chinese. Despite having remarkable modern rural health services, Malaysians use a wide variety of traditional healthcare systems. Traditional Malaysian medicine is inspired by the teachings from the three cultures mentioned above. Three aspects are included in traditional health practice. The first aspect is spiritual therapy where a patient receives treatment for spiritual and psychological conditions. These conditions include depression, obsession, magic spells, and insomnia. The second aspect is massage therapy that uses different methods, balms an instruments in different regions of Malaysia. The third aspect is herbs that are in the form of liquids, powders, leaves, tablets, oils or pills. These herbal remedies are primarily aimed at restoring the natural balance in the body’s systems. The traditional religious beliefs and superstitions of Malaysian people have an important impact on the health of the people. These beliefs include fortune telling, worshipping ancestors, historical heroic gods, Buddhist gods and Taoist gods. These beliefs have important influence, particularly among patients with subjective psychotic experiences such as