Surgical problems among the elderly in Malaysia.

According to the 1991 population census, just under a million Malaysians are elderly. By universal convention the elderly are people who are above the age of 65 years. They comprise 3.7% of our population. To make a comparison, in the United States the elderly comprise 13% of the population and are expected to increase to 16% by the year 2025. They are, in that year, expected to consume 25% of the US medical budget. It was in 1900 when the elderly in the US comprised 4% of the pupulation. Our Malaysian population is therefore comparatively young but with better nutrition and health the proportion of the population who are· elderly in Malaysia will invariably rise.