Lack of medical facilities, care for autism spectrum disorder plagues rural areas

SHAH ALAM - In rural areas across Malaysia, families dealing with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often find themselves stranded without the necessary medical facilities and care.

According to health experts, the lack of health personnel specialising in ASD management was particularly acute in these areas.

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Public Health Medicine Specialist Professor Dr Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh raised concerns on the shortage of specialised healthcare professionals needed for ASD management in rural areas.

"Health personnel that may help in ASD management are much concentrated in big cities and lack in rural areas.

"They are essential for effective ASD management. However, child psychiatrists, pediatric neurologists, developmental pediatricians, speech therapists and occupational therapists are predominantly concentrated in urban centers, leaving rural areas grossly underserved," she told Sinar Daily.

Echoing Dr Sharifa's concerns, Consultant Public Health Specialist Professor Dr Hematram Yadav emphasised the uneven distribution of healthcare specialists across the country.

"The various categories of health specialist required for management of Autism are many and distributed unevenly throughout the country mainly in urban areas," he said when contacted.

In addressing this disparity, Dr Yadav proposed the establishment of a referral system to ensure that ASD treatments were accessible to rural patients.

"Deploying mental health specialists or speech therapists to visit health centres in rural areas regularly could serve as a viable solution.

"This approach would enable the provision of essential services to a larger population, albeit temporarily mitigating the shortage," he added.