KUALA LUMPUR, March 28 — Four government hospitals will receive new-generation LINAC machines this year: two for the National Cancer Institute (IKN) and one each for Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL), Sabah Women’s and Children’s Hospital, and Sarawak General Hospital (SGH).
The LINAC machines are equipped with Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT), a more sophisticated and high-tech treatment that uses high and accurate doses of radiotherapy to target cancer cells.
This enables accurate targeting of small tumours in specific areas, especially for important organs like the brain, heart, lungs, or liver, without destroying surrounding normal tissue. The duration of treatment can be shortened and causes minimal side effects to patients.
Each LINAC machine is estimated to cost around RM25 million. Currently, HKL has four LINAC machines, Sultan Ismail Hospital (HSI) has three, Sabah Women’s and Children Hospital has two, SGH has four, and IKN has five, totalling 18 LINAC machines. One of the five new LINAC machines for the public hospitals this year is to replace an old one at IKN.
By the end of this year, these Ministry of Health (MOH) hospitals will have 22 operational LINAC machines.
After a new LINAC machine was placed at HSI in Johor Bahru in 2023 to replace one of three existing machines, Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad found in a visit to the hospital last March 20 that the waiting time for radiotherapy treatment had dramatically reduced from three months to two weeks.
“It enables cancer patients to get faster radiotherapy treatment, reduces the risk of the cancer spreading, and improves patients’ recovery rate and chances of survival,” the MOH said in a statement today after Dzulkefly’s visit to IKN in Putrajaya, in conjunction with Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
“To ensure that health care services for cancer patients are not disrupted throughout the celebration, IKN and other cancer centres nationwide will operate at full capacity throughout this time. This is achieved with a fair duty roster for staff, ensuring that patients who rely on continuous services get appropriate attention.”
IKN is the national referral centre for the treatment of solid tumour cancers, offering comprehensive services spanning clinical treatment, specialist training, and research. Since beginning operations 12 years ago in 2013, IKN has 1,122 staff and 252 official beds.
Last year, IKN received and treated more than 92,000 patients across inpatient, daycare oncology treatments, and specialist clinics. IKN’s services cover radiotherapy and oncology, nuclear medicine, surgery, gynae-oncology, anaesthesiology, and palliative treatment and support.
“Among the initiatives launched to manage an increase in patients was an extension of the Daycare Oncology Unit’s operating hours until 9pm to provide more comfortable and flexible treatment,” said the MOH.
IKN is also piloting first-in-human (FIH) trials for oncology treatment, “placing Malaysia at the frontlines of global pharmaceutical research and opening access to innovative treatment for locals.”
