How traditional Chinese medicine in Malaysia is winning over more Malays

KUALA LUMPUR – Ms Aida Malik, 33, has lived with an autoimmune disease that affects her skin for more than a decade. She had to take steroids for the condition, which resulted in side effects such as weight gain and acne.

A casual scroll through TikTok led her to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), an experience she describes as life-changing.

Ms Aida claims that nearly a year of acupuncture sessions at Kuala Lumpur’s Tung Shin Hospital, combined with dietary changes, helped her lose about 15kg and rid her of a persistent moon face, buffalo hump and acne that were the results of her condition and steroid regime.

“Because of the weight loss, I had quite a bit of loose skin,” the freelance event manager said when The Straits Times met her at the hospital.

“The acupuncturist was able to lift the loose skin and I honestly love how I look now. I feel much more confident going out.”

TCM has seen steady growth in Malaysia, both in public use and institutional acceptance, and is regulated under the Health Ministry’s traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) framework.

While Tung Shin Hospital, founded in 1881, has more than 141 years of experience in Chinese medicine, the practice was adopted by the Health Ministry in its hospitals only from 2007, alongside traditional massage, Ayurvedic therapy and herbal medicine for cancer treatment.

TCM, commonly associated with the Chinese community, has found new fans among the Malay community. A visit by ST to Tung Shin Hospital on Jan 28 found that around half of the patients waiting at the hospital’s TCM wing are non-ethnic Chinese.

“I have been coming here after I had a stroke in 2024 on recommendation from Malay friends who are already familiar with acupuncture,” said Mr Mahmud Mat Lazim, 62, a trader at the Selayang wholesale market in Kuala Lumpur.

“At first, I was sceptical, but once I stepped inside, I was surprised by how modern everything is,” he said, adding that he has regained a large part of his motor skills after a year of acupuncture therapy.

Growing numbers of Malay and foreign TCM patients

Tung Shin Hospital secretary-general Ang Chin Tat told ST that more than 20 per cent of those seeking TCM treatment are non-Chinese.

“We see around 1,000 patients daily, with growing numbers of Malays, Indians and foreigners seeking treatment,” he said.

“The TCM wing accounts for 40 per cent of our revenue and operates seven days a week.”

Statistics from the hospital show that the number of outpatients in its Chinese medical division rose from around 290,000 in 2024 to almost 300,000 in 2025.

Meanwhile, the number of foreigners seeking TCM treatment increased from 20,545 to 23,640 over the same period. The hospital said its foreign patients came from China, Turkey and Middle Eastern countries, although it did not provide a more detailed breakdown.

The growth in demand has led the hospital, the second-oldest in the capital city, after Kuala Lumpur Hospital, to demolish older buildings in the busy Pudu Road to make way for three new 16-storey blocks.

The expansion will free up space in the remaining buildings for its TCM services, expanding acupuncture treatment from one floor to three. There will also be more dedicated ward floors for TCM patients.

Public hospitals join in

A 2025 study by the Malaysian Health Ministry found strong acceptance of T&CM among its staff, with 97 per cent of respondents expressing positive attitudes and showing good knowledge of its regulation and services.

Nearly 95 per cent of respondents said they had used some form of the treatment, mainly for health maintenance, with prior use linked to more favourable views of such treatments.

Today, 16 government hospitals nationwide offer T&CM treatment, such as the National Cancer Institute in Putrajaya, Sungai Buloh Hospital in Selangor and Sultan Ismail Hospital in Johor Bahru.

These treatments are focused on addressing chronic pain and post-stroke recovery, and alleviating chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Indian Ayurvedic therapy, for example, is used to address insomnia, mental fatigue, anxiety and depression, and headache.

In 2021, then Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin described T&CM as an important intervention for rehabilitative care, and called for a greater focus on alternative medicine.

“For traditional medicine, Malaysia’s diverse population presents us with an opportunity to draw on the wealth of knowledge and practices of the Malays, Chinese, Indians, the Islamic world and our many indigenous communities,” Mr Khairy said at a World Health Organization regional committee session.

The formalisation of this alternative care has provided safeguards for the public as all T&CM practitioners are required to register with the Malaysian Traditional and Complementary Medicine Board.

There are currently more than 14,000 practitioners registered.

In Singapore, the Health Ministry similarly recognises TCM and oversees it under the Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners Act. But it is not part of the public healthcare financing framework.

Consultations and treatments are not subsidised under MediSave, MediShield Life or public hospital budgets, with most TCM care delivered through private clinics or charitable TCM institutions, often run by clan associations or non-profits.

In Malaysia, aside from long-time players and the government, the highly competitive private healthcare sector is also tapping TCM as a growth area.

Sunway Healthcare Group, one of Malaysia’s larger integrated private healthcare groups, has started offering TCM at two of its hospitals, in Bandar Sunway and Kuching in 2020.

Healthcare specialist Khor Swee Kheng of digital-first managed care organisation Angsana Health said that while TCM is “thousands of years old”, its adoption by modern medicine provides a “bright future” for the practice.

“One, the science- and evidence-based approach of modern medicine has been integrated with traditional practices,” Dr Khor said.

“And two, legal and regulatory frameworks have expressly embraced TCM, which allows more professionalised clinics and doctors, therefore increasing the accountability, safety and trust in TCM.”