Kuala Lampur, Feb. 24 -- It is 10am in the outpatient clinic of a typical government hospital. The air is thick with the scent of sanitiser and quiet resignation. The plastic chairs are full, occupied by elderly uncles and aunties clutching paper queue slips they pulled three hours ago.

If you look closely, you realise that most of these patients aren't here for trauma or sudden emergencies. They are here for routine maintenance: a diabetes check-up, a hypertension refill, or a wound dressing. They wait for hours for a consultation that might last five minutes.

We are watching a system choke on its own generosity. Malaysia's public healthcare is affordable and accessible, but it is drowning. The solution isn't to build more waiting room...