Author: Dr Harivinthan Manavalan

 The Malaysian Auditor General’s 2022 report saw a lack of positive results in dengue control. Meanwhile, it also noted scientific evidence for fogging remains weak.

Dr Azizan Abdul Aziz, the current president of MMA, highlighted the importance of considering a three-shift system with flexi-allowance while commenting on the difference in working hours between doctors in Malaysia and doctors overseas.

Columbia Asia Hospital was held jointly liable with an anaesthetist to pay an estimated RM4 million in damages to a former patient who had brain damage. In a split ruling of 4-1, the federal court held a private hospital for medical negligence regarding a case involving a patient who suffered from brain damage in 2010.

In January 2024, the Selangor State Health Department (JKNS) stopped paying medical officers for several public health clinics that provide services for extended hours on Sundays and public holidays. The locum allowance was substituted with claim hours, also known as replacement leaves. 

Giant cell tumours are typically seen among adults between the ages of 20 and 40. It usually develops adjacent to a joint at the end of the affected bone. The tumour usually involves the knees but can also be seen in the bones of the arms and the legs. Flat bones such as the breastbone or pelvis can also be affected.

A nurse working at a public hospital in Selangor claimed that nurses who voiced concerns were being blacklisted. This is reported in a recent interview with Malaysia’s reliable medical news portal. Nurses in government hospitals are said to be silenced with threats of transfers or blacklisting due to speaking out regarding workplace issues. This is according to an anonymous nurse.

Pantai Medical Centre Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of IHH Healthcare Malaysia group, signed a MOU with PHB for the development of a new medical block next to the existing Gleneagles Hospital Kuala Lumpur complex. PHB has leased the complex for an initial period of 20 years. With the addition, Gleneagles Hospital Kuala Lumpur will become one of the largest private hospitals in Malaysia by 2027, with over 700 beds. A new phase for private healthcare Mr. Jean-François Naa, the chief executive officer (CEO) of IHH Healthcare Malaysia, stated, ‘’In line with IHH Healthcare Malaysia’s organic growth strategy to expand the…

The dire shortages of nurses and nursing graduates forced the MOH to make this decision. Medical assistants are expected to fill the void left by nurses in specialist clinics. The move is meant to deal with the shortage of manpower in hospital wards, especially since the influx of COVID-19 admissions recently.

In a concerning statistic emerging from Malaysia, almost 100,000 individuals succumbed prematurely to various non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in 2022, falling short of the national average life expectancy of 75 years.  The primary culprits behind these early deaths were heart and cerebrovascular diseases, along with pneumonia, underscoring a pressing health crisis in the country.

Dengue infections in Malaysia nearly doubled in 2023 compared to 2022 amid global surge in dengue cases. According to the Malaysian government’s iDengue portal, a total of 123,300 dengue cases were reported from January 1st to December 31st 2023, 86.5% more compared to 2022 (66,102 cases). This was the highest number of recorded cases since 2019 when 130,101 dengue cases were reported.