KUALA LUMPUR — The government is developing Malaysia’s first official cost-of-living benchmark for households caring for people with disabilities, home-based patients and elderly dependants, a move aimed at giving policymakers a clearer picture of the real cost of caregiving and helping shape more targeted welfare support.

According to Sinar Harian, the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) is developing a Basic Expenditure for Decent Living (PAKW) benchmark tailored to households with special care needs, the first of its kind in the country.

Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the initiative would measure the actual cost of living borne by these households while serving as an important reference for the government in designing financial assistance, subsidies, caregiving support and social protection programmes.

“The development and updating of the PAKW for special-needs groups aims to identify the additional expenditure incurred by families with members requiring special care, taking into account the costs needed to achieve a decent standard of living,” he said during the Data and Media Symphony Programme: Special Discourse in Putrajaya today.

The framework covers seven categories of disability: hearing, visual, physical, speech, learning, mental and multiple disabilities.

“It also includes patients requiring home-based care, whether bedridden or not, as well as older persons who require specialised care,” Mohd Uzir said.

The benchmark goes beyond basic household expenses such as food, housing, utilities and transport by factoring in costs often unique to caregiving households, including assistive devices, medical treatment, medication, therapy, caregiving services, and equipment that supports daily living and communication.