KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 22 -- As Malaysia rapidly ages, it needs a targeted approach, with a ministry dedicated to older persons and one agency to coordinate all aged care policies.

Ezzati Nasir, CEO and founder of Teman Malaysia, which provides care companion services for older persons, said the country's approach to aged care is currently fragmented across different ministries.

"I do hope that when I am an aged person, there will be a Ministry for Older Persons," she said as a panellist at the National Long-Term Care Financing Dialogue yesterday.

Instead of "wasting time" by having different ministries decide which areas of aged care or matters relating to older persons fall within their scope or responsibilities, she said it is better to...