Health news in Malaysia
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Health Ministry rural tour to identify real health needs in Sarawak
Deputy Health Minister Dato Hanifah Hajar Taib said the Health Ministry's outreach tour will continue to identify real health needs at the grassroots, especially in rural Sarawak. She spoke after the handover of the Lawas Hospital project from the Works Ministry to the Health Ministry at the new Lawas Hospital building. She also gave assurances that a CT scanner for the new hospital will be looked into, and that the ministry will assess the need for a health clinic in Samalaju.
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Awang Tengah: Sarawak health facilities must be federal priority, Lawas Hospital handed to KKM
Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said health facilities in Sarawak need serious federal attention and should be a priority, criticising delays in past projects. He spoke after the handover of the Lawas Hospital project from the Works Ministry to the Health Ministry at the new Lawas Hospital building, and said Lawas Hospital should be planned as a specialist hospital in future.
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Mother in Kluang shares story of baby born with rare facial cleft
A mother in Kluang, Johor, Sufia Muhd Lawi, 32, has shared her experience raising her three-month-old daughter Nur Aqila Aniqa Mohd Saiful, who was born with a rare facial cleft. Aqila is awaiting a CT scan to determine further treatment, and the family has applied for a disabled person's card. Sufia now speaks publicly on social media after previously keeping her daughter's condition private out of fear of public perception.
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Fahmi: Wear N95 masks at Kuching Malaysia Day fireworks as haze persists
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said the Malaysia Day 2026 fireworks at Kuching Waterfront will go ahead as scheduled, but advised the public to wear N95 masks outdoors amid the haze. He spoke after opening the national-level Malaysia Day exhibition at Plaza Merdeka, which runs until Sept 16 and features the history of Malaysia's formation.
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Sarawak targets 9 new OSEIC centres by 2030, RM30m for special needs centre in Samarahan
Sarawak plans to set up nine more One-Stop Early Intervention Centres (OSEIC) by 2030 to expand early intervention services for children with special needs. The state government has also approved RM30 million under the 13th Malaysia Plan for the first phase of the Sarawak Special Needs Community Centre in Samarahan, expected to be completed by May 2028. As of 31 December 2025, 745 children have received OSEIC services.
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UTM hosts international seminar on smart anti-infective concept
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) held its first scientific seminar titled 'Towards New Hygiene Standards', discussing the smart anti-infective concept. The seminar brought together microbiome and healthcare experts from Malaysia, Finland, South Africa, Egypt, the United States and Indonesia. Discussions focused on the role of microorganisms in human health and hygiene approaches that preserve beneficial microorganisms.
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SJMC rolls out AI-assisted pathology for HER2 breast cancer testing
Subang Jaya Medical Centre (SJMC) has introduced Malaysia's first computational pathology solution, using AI-assisted imaging to support HER2 breast cancer diagnostics. The initiative, with AstraZeneca Malaysia and Mindpeak HER2 AI software, keeps final diagnostic decisions with qualified pathologists.
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Genetic testing costs hinder diagnosis of rare diseases in Malaysia
Malaysian families affected by rare inherited diseases such as spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) face high costs for genetic testing sent overseas. Lack of insurance protection and limited local testing capacity make diagnosis difficult, with costs reaching RM3,000 to RM5,000.
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Sarawak expects 30,000 needing palliative care by 2030, says Dr Sim
Sarawak's Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian said about 30,000 people in the state are expected to need palliative care by 2030, and more facilities are needed. He spoke in Kuching after launching NorthBank Business Exchange and NBX Residence I, and said palliative care will be part of the proposed Sarawak Cancer Centre. On MA63 health autonomy, he said the matter awaits a political decision by the Prime Minister and federal government.
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Colorectal cancer rising among young Malaysians, doctors warn
Colorectal cancer is increasingly being diagnosed in younger Malaysians, challenging the belief that it mainly affects older people. A Malaysian university pathology expert warns that symptoms are often dismissed as haemorrhoids or irritable bowel syndrome, delaying diagnosis. Early detection through screening and lifestyle changes can improve outcomes.
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Dr Sim: palliative care awareness must start young
Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian said awareness of palliative care must be nurtured in society from a young age to build compassion and empathy. He spoke to reporters after officiating the Northbank Business Exchange in Kuching on Monday, citing the Batu Kawa palliative care initiative and a projection that about 30,000 people in Sarawak will need such care by 2030.
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Lawas Hospital handed over, expected to become specialist centre
The new 76-bed Lawas Hospital has been handed over and is expected to evolve into a specialist hospital, reducing the need for patients to travel far for specialist care. Deputy Health Minister Datuk Hanifah Hajar Taib said manpower constraints have left staffing incomplete for now. The RM183 million project was built by the Public Works Department's Special Project Team 2 from June 30, 2020.
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Free two-day TCM clinic in Bau from 19th, 80 slots daily
The Progressive Democratic Party and Bau Chinese Association will hold a free two-day traditional Chinese medicine clinic on the 19th and 20th at the Bau Chung Hua Public School hall. The event runs from 9am to 3pm, with only 80 slots per day on a first-come, first-served basis, open to all races.
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Lawas Hospital handover: staffing to be added as resources allow
The newly completed 76-bed Lawas Hospital was handed over on Sept 14, with Deputy Health Minister Hanifah Hajar Taib saying staffing will be strengthened as resources allow. She hoped specialist doctors could eventually be permanently stationed there so residents rely less on distant hospitals such as Limbang and Miri.
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UM expert: Cyberbullying without borders raises teen self-harm risk
A Universiti Malaya psychiatrist warns that persistent cyberbullying with no time or boundary limits raises the risk of teenagers harming themselves and attempting suicide. He says both victims and bullies face mental health risks, and urges parents, teachers and schools to provide safe spaces and strengthen counselling.
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Health Ministry targets 902 clinics for integrated lung health approach by year-end
The Health Ministry aims for 902 health clinics nationwide to adopt an integrated lung health approach by the end of this year. Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said this is part of the Healthy Lungs Initiative 2025-2030 to tackle the burden of respiratory diseases. He spoke at the opening of the 2026 RESPIRE Annual Scientific Meeting in Kuala Lumpur.
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Study: depression changes children's attention to sad faces
A study by Binghamton University, State University of New York found that children at higher risk of depression due to family history have more difficulty shifting attention away from sad faces as their depressive symptoms rise. Researchers followed 242 children and their mothers for two years using eye-tracking technology. The study is the first to examine the two-way relationship between depressive symptoms and children's attention patterns.
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MCA Youth's Teoh urges data on medicine-by-post programme
MCA Youth deputy chief Teoh Yew Kiat has called on Communications Minister Fahmi and the Health Ministry to release actual figures for the medicine-by-post programme for July and August, including beneficiaries, deliveries, states covered and delivery costs borne by the government. He said the government announced in June it would cover delivery fees nationwide from July, with about 80,000 patients a month and RM5.69 million a year, and should now account for what was actually delivered.
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Johor Baru doctor: Less water during heatwave raises kidney stone risk
A urologist at Regency Specialist Hospital Johor Baru warns that not drinking enough water in hot weather can cause kidney stones. He advises watching urine colour and drinking more fluids, especially for outdoor workers and long-distance drivers.
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Prolonged haze can affect male sperm quality, says UKM expert
A senior biochemistry lecturer at UKM, Dr Faizul Jaafar, said prolonged exposure to haze can affect sperm quality and male fertility. He advised the public to monitor API readings, especially those who work outdoors such as food delivery riders and motorcyclists.
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FPMPAM seeks national committee on occupational risk after Long Lellang crash
The Federation of Private Medical Practitioners' Associations Malaysia has proposed a time-limited National Inter-Agency Committee on Occupational Risk Protection for Frontline Public Personnel after the Flying Doctor Service helicopter crash at Long Lellang, Sarawak, on September 8, 2026, which killed a pilot and four Health Ministry personnel. FPMPAM says the review should cover insurance, compensation, hazardous-duty allowances, safety requirements and liability waivers, and involve multiple ministries, agencies and the Sabah and Sarawak state governments.
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Barcelona University study: 3 months of concentrated tomato products may boost brain network links
A University of Barcelona study published in the journal Antioxidants says middle-aged adults who took 35g of concentrated tomato products daily for three months had higher blood lycopene levels and improved brain network connectivity. Clinical tests showed gains in selective attention and associative memory, with fMRI confirming brain reorganisation and greater neural efficiency. Experts say cooking breaks down cell walls, making lycopene easier to absorb.
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Dengue risk higher for those with chronic illness, say doctors
Dengue can be more severe in people with chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, and a second infection with a different virus type raises the risk further. Malaysia recorded 65,979 dengue cases as of epidemiological week 35 this year, a 66% rise from the same period last year, with DENV-3 now dominant. An emergency physician advises patients not to wait for symptoms to look serious before seeking treatment.
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Ipoh donors with rare blood types urged to keep giving
In Ipoh, three men have discovered they carry rare blood types, including Parabombay A and an uncommon O positive phenotype. A transfusion medicine specialist says rare types occur in about one in 1,000 people and matching donors is vital, with Perak recording four Bombay and five Parabombay patients so far.