Health & Living

Lung cancer is still one of the most common cancers in Malaysia and most of our lung cancer patients are still diagnosed in the late stages. In conjunction with World Lung Cancer Day, observed annually on 1st August, we explore how far we’ve come in treating lung cancer and, more importantly, how accessible these treatments are for lung cancer patients in Malaysia. Consultant urologist Dr George L...

People with drug addiction or substance use disorder are often stigmatised and walk a long and lonely path towards recovery. We speak to Charles, Zam and Faisal (not their real names) from Narcotics Anonymous Malaysia, to find out how recovering addicts help each other to stay clean through peer support, one day at a time. Find out more about Narcotics Anonymous Malaysia on their website or call t...

In 2017, Malaysia made headlines as the first country in the world to issue a government-use license to bypass the patent on a key hepatitis C drug—sofosbuvir. This bold move paved the way for Malaysia to develop and roll out an affordable hepatitis C treatment using ravidasvir, in partnership with Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi). In conjunction with World Hepatitis Day on 28 July,...

Snoring is disruptive and often dismissed as a normal bodily function but it can be a sign of a more serious health problem. On this episode of Ask A Doctor, we speak to consultant respiratory physician Prof Dr Mohamed Faisal Abdul Hamid and consultant ENT surgeon Assoc Prof Dr Mawaddah Azman, both from Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz to break down what snoring tells us about that person’s health...

Most smokers think that they’ll never get lung cancer - that it only happens to others and not them. That’s how Apparao Applanaidu used to think when he was smoking up to three packs a day at the peak of his addiction. We hear from him about how he battled his addiction and the health scare that ultimately helped him kick the habit.  NCD Chronicles is a series about people living with NCDs, g...

The rising popularity of ceramic cookware products has seen these colourful pots and pans become coveted products in kitchens today. The range of kitchenware often come in pretty colours, claiming to be non-toxic and non-stick. But what do we know about the materials used in such cookware, and how likely are they to leach into our food? What is the impact in the human body? We find out from enviro...

Living in a neurotypical world, we have to deal with many grey areas, nuances and contextual situations. This can be challenging for children who are neurodivergent, such as those with autism. On the show, we dive into why autistic children struggle with repetitive, dichotomous or catastrophising thoughts, and why we should try to adjust our understanding of their needs, instead of forcing them to...

About 95% of rare disorders don’t have a treatment for it, and even in cases where treatment is available or a clinical trial is being conducted, not everyone across the world has equal access to it. That’s what’s happening now in the context of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Here to help us dive into this and why equitable access to treatments matter, we speak to Catherine Jayasuriya, Founder &...

Motherhood brings with it a complexity of mental health issues, but what about the period leading up to conceiving a baby? And what if it takes a woman years to get pregnant? What kind of anxieties does she have to silently manage, amid societal norms that put the pressure of child-bearing on women? On this episode of ‘ Because Feelings Matter ’, we speak to Nurul Zulkifli, co-founder of Mimpikita...

Stigma is one of the biggest barriers to people with dementia to continue living their lives with dignity and quality. In this episode of Healthy Ageing, we speak to Dr Cecilia Chan to speak about how stereotypes, prejudices and discrimination of people with dementia affect them and their family members. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Extreme heat exposure can be deadly, and one of the ways that could happen is through kidney damage. It’s not a consequence of higher temperatures that people think about but it is a concern, especially among those who work outdoors, and sometimes the damage can be irreversible. Consultant urologist Dr George Lee is joined by consultant nephrologist Dr Sunita Banavandan and occupational health phy...

The Ministry of Health is set to introduce the Rakan KKM some time this year, an initiative said to offer “premium economy” services to the public at public healthcare facilities. Among other things, the public will be able to access “personalised care, their choice of specialist, as well as enhanced privacy”. But while the Ministry of Health touts this as a win-win-win situation, many experts hav...

When exercising, trainers and coaches often speak about the importance of strengthening your core - you might even have seen this on TikTok videos. But what does this actually mean beyond just strengthening your abs? Are they one and the same? We speak to consultant orthopaedic surgeon Dr Harjeet Singh to find out. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While public housing in Malaysia aims to keep low-income communities out of slums, we’ve seen that it is not enough to merely provide a roof over their heads. The numbers of urban poor are rising, and they’re struggling to achieve basic quality of life. According to a 2022 report by Think City, half of the public housing population in Malaysia do not have enough money to buy food, and children are...

The Ministry of Health is planning to roll out social health insurance, in a bid to make healthcare - including private healthcare - more accessible to all. But what will this look like and will it achieve its objectives? We break this down with Prof Dr Maznah Dahlui, public health medicine specialist and health economist from Universiti Malaya. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listen...

The recent spate of heavy vehicle accidents has raised concerns over the severity and long-term consequences of trauma injuries, particularly head trauma. We delve into the issue with consultant neurosurgeon Dr Vickneswaran Mathaneswaran. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you’re a salaried employee, your monthly payslip will state a small contribution to the Social Security Organization or PERKESO. Where do these funds go, and how do they contribute towards your medical needs if you suffer from an injury or illness related to your job? And looking more broadly, what role does PERKESO play in complementing our healthcare system, not only in treatment but also pre...

We keep being told that there is a ‘fertility crisis’ as people continue to have fewer children or none at all. But is there really a crisis brewing? We explore reasons why people are choosing to not have children and why this is a problem with sexual and reproductive health rights, with Dr Julitta Onabanjo, UNFPA Country Representative for Malaysia, and Tengku Aira Tengku Razif, Assistant Represe...

Palliative care should be an important part of most healthcare workers’ training, because its goal is to alleviate suffering and improve the quality of life of patients with serious illnesses. But out of 32 medical schools in the country, only 5 require palliative care training for doctors. When it comes to nursing schools, the number goes down to zero. We speak to Ednin Hamzah, CEO of Hospis Mala...

Are students today under too much pressure, as academic demands increase? Or are young people today just less adept at dealing with stress? Licensed and registered counsellor Hanurekha Muniandy, joins us to answer questions about stress among children and teenagers, and how to help them cope. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Can generative AI tools like ChatGPT improve workflow in clinics and hospitals, allowing doctors and nurses to focus on the most important areas of patient care? We speak to Dr Vaikunthan Rajaratnam, Nerve Surgeon, Educator, and AI Ethicist, about how he uses these tools in his clinical and surgical practice, and what are the risks that we need to safeguard against. Image Credit: Shutterstock See...

In 2020, when Dr Ruben Ramakrishnan completed his Doctor of Public Health, it was the culmination of two journeys - one, his professional journey, and the other, his personal journey to better health, having gone from 150kg to 78kg. Now a public health medicine specialist, Dr Ruben shares his personal story of overcoming obesity and how policies can be improved to support individuals, while Consul...

What happens when you’re struck by an illness and require more support beyond just treating the symptoms or injury you have? That’s where medical social workers come in to support patients, whether with their mental health or to connect them to the right resources and financial support. On this episode of Humans of Healthcare, we speak to two medical social workers to find out more about this unde...

Every time you wash your hands or flush the toilet, do you think about what the world would look like if we couldn’t easily do any of those things? For people living in conflict zones like Gaza or in the aftermath of a natural disaster like Myanmar, water and sanitation can be extremely hard to come by. Here to shed some light about the urgent need for water and sanitation in emergency situations,...

Nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) is treatable, and even curable, when patients are diagnosed at the earlier stages. But the treatment journey can be long and arduous, due to the intensity of the therapies. We speak to two survivors to find out how they stayed resilient throughout treatment, and how the Cancer Survivor Support Group is there through thick and thin for survivors.  NCD Chronicles is...