BY: NADIAH KARIM

The Big C, or cancer diseases of all kinds, is the third leading cause of death in Malaysia, and annually the nation witnesses about 40,000 new cases as the lifestyle and behaviour patterns of Malaysians have changed for the worse.

This inevitably places mounting pressure on Malaysia’s healthcare system and workforce capacity and experts suggest that the nation must confront the reality of an increasingly complex burden of cancers of all kinds.

There must be emphasis placed by the Health Ministry, universities and colleges of medicine in the training of oncologists to be able to respond effectively to the challenges to treat and manage the various kinds of cancer cases.

Malaysia currently has about 84 oncologists in practice all over the country, which is a 60 percent increase since the year 2019, but the numbers are still insufficient to cope with rising and increasingly complex care demands.

The challenges facing the alarming rise in cancer cases are considered by medical experts to be multi-faceted and the Ministry of Health has decided to commit itself to a “whole-of-society” approach in tackling the situation.

Certain experts also highlighted the increasing pressures confronting women oncologists who have the burden and responsibility of carrying out duties beyond the workplace but who show up displaying resilience, compassion and commitment.

-THE MALAYSIA VOICE

** The views expressed on this opinion is of the writer and not the publisher