Dr Voon Pei Jye from Sarawak General Hospital notes that there are very limited Malaysian Phase One oncology clinical trials published in international journals from 2011 to 2020.
Selangor is also replacing its Peduli Sihat Insurance Scheme with the Iltizam Selangor Sihat programme for better health coverage, with an RM46 million allocation to benefit 90,000 recipients.
The Economic Planning Unit (EPU) cancelled last August the project proposed under the National Strategic Plan for Cancer Control Programme 2016-2020 to build a radiotherapy and oncology centre in Sungai Petani, Kedah, by 2020.
A new campaign by National Cancer Society Malaysia and Lung Cancer Network Malaysia urges cancer patients not to delay check-ups and scheduled treatment.
Estimated backlogs of up to 200,000 procedures in MOH facilities include elective operations like cancer, AV fistula, and gallbladder surgery, says DG Hisham.
The Breast Cancer Welfare Association says nurses should be allowed to pursue their Masters and PhD so that Malaysia can have a cadre of nurses specialising in cancer care.
High-income breast cancer patients in Malaysia have a survival rate of over 90 per cent compared to less than 65 per cent in low-income breast cancer patients.
Lung Cancer Network Malaysia co-founder and president Dr Anand Sachithanandan says recovered cancer patients should not be “penalised” by the system by losing eligibility for life insurance.
The reporting of new cancer cases should be made mandatory across all health care settings, including non-MOH facilities, to increase representation of the cancer registry to track incidence and survival outcomes.