Methods: Drawing on existing literature available on palliative care in Malaysia and interviews from 10 management and healthcare staff of Malaysian palliative care NGOs, this article casts new light on the field. Specifically, the paper explores the various health-related and policy-related challenges NGOs have identified in progressing palliative care in the country, as well as the current and future strategies they employ to address these.

Results: Despite immense progress in Malaysian palliative care, existing services cannot meet the current and projected demand. The interviews identify numerous barriers hindering Malaysian palliative care, including financial matters, perception issues, logistical concerns and challenging government policies.