Building Sabah’s Smart Ageing Nation: From Policy Gaps to Sustainable Systems
Abstract
Sabah is advancing toward aged-state status by 2040, yet national ageing policies remain predominantly Peninsular-focused and insufficiently aligned with East Malaysian conditions. This paper synthesises empirical literature, ageing policy documents, and international models to examine how regional disparities shape ageing preparedness in Sabah. Evidence highlights structural deficits in geriatric care, rehabilitation access, digital infrastructure, and inter-agency coordination, with rural and indigenous communities facing the greatest exclusion. Using a qualitative conceptual approach, the study develops a Smart Ageing and Wellness Framework comprising three pillars: policy integration, workforce and care-economy readiness, and data-governance infrastructure. The analysis demonstrates that ageing governance in Sabah requires territorially sensitive strategies that reflect its geographic dispersion, infrastructural limitations, and cultural diversity. Although conceptual, the study contributes a region-specific lens often absent in Malaysian ageing discourse and provides a foundation for future empirical work on ageing policy, health equity, and the spatial organisation of care and services in East Malaysia.
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References
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