Health & Living

Severe bleeding after childbirth, also known as post-partum haemorrhage, continues to be a leading cause of maternal mortality worldwide, including here in Malaysia, despite advances in medicine. So how can we stop PPH - a treatable condition - from continuing to kill women at what is supposed to be one of the happiest moments in their lives? Here to delve into that is Prof Dr Jamiyah Hassan, cons...

Many of us spend hours a day listening to sounds at levels that our ears are probably not meant for. But how often do we stop and think about how it’s impacting our hearing each time we kick the volume button up a notch? In conjunction with World Hearing Day - which is observed annually on 3rd March - we speak to Dr Natalia Wroblewska, Public Health Specialist with the WHO Representative Office fo...

What if we could one day cure all cancers? Why has it been so difficult for scientists to find a cure? In this mini series, we explore the challenges that scientists face and what a cure would mean to people living with cancer. In this episode, we speak to consultant gynaecological oncologist Prof Dr Woo Yin Ling and consultant clinical oncologist Dr Jennifer Leong. Image credit: Shutterstock See...

Our body needs glucose to function, but as with all things in life, you can have too much of a good thing. We dive into what glucose does to our body and whether “hacks” to lower glucose spikes work, as consultant urologist Dr George Lee is joined by consultant endocrinologist Dr Saiful Kassim. Image credit: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As a parent today, it’s easy to get caught up in debates over Montessori versus traditional kindergartens, international versus national schools, and British versus American, Australian, and so on. But what if we put all the labels aside, and focused on the fundamentals of how children learn best: through playing outdoors, getting dirty, and exploring with all their faculties and senses. We dig in...

Improving quality of life for someone living with a rare disorder isn’t just about treating or finding a cure to the condition, but also about helping them lead as normal a life as they can. In many cases, rehabilitation such as physiotherapy can play a vital role. Here to help us understand that are Sharfiza Abdul Aziz, senior paediatric physiotherapist, as well as Nur’shafinaz binti Salehen, who...

Back in 2022, Fuad would visit KLIA regularly over the course of April to June, where his late son’s architecture installation, ‘Polyhedron Pavilion’, was on exhibit. Having lost his son to suicide in 2021, Fuad treasured such remaining connections and memories of his son, and slowly learned to come to terms with the grief. Fuad shares his journey of surviving the suicide loss and why he authored...

The struggles faced by children and young adults with Type 1 diabetes are still largely unnoticed by the public, healthcare providers and policymakers. In last month’s NCD Chronicles, 20-year-old Nazril Hadani described the ups and downs of growing up with Type 1 diabetes. In the second part of this feature, we’re looking at the gaps that people with Type 1 face, in terms of access to treatment, g...

One in six adults in Malaysia have diabetes, but more than half do not have good glucose control. With poorly controlled diabetes comes astronomical costs of treating the long-term complications - not only to patients and caregivers, but placing a huge burden on an under-resourced healthcare system. Prof Dr Sanjay Rampal and Prof Dr Lim Lee Ling from University of Malaya, co-authors of a recently-...

On this month’s Ask A Doctor, we are addressing questions about high cholesterol and blood pressure. Consultant cardiologist Dr Effarezan Abdul Rahman joins us to answer the most common concerns about these two conditions.  Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re often told that we must “move it or lose it” when it comes to our musculoskeletal health, and this is especially true in your older years. So what does “moving it” entail?  On this episode of Healthy Ageing, we speak to Dr Elaine Hong and Imelda Yong, co-founders of Breakfree Movement, to find out how exercise can be made easier and better for older adults. Image credit: Shutterstock Se...

People who work in the health, social and education sectors are the foundation of society. Think of teachers, nurses, doctors, welfare providers, prison officers or community volunteers, all providing services and support that everyone needs at some point in their lives. But what are their needs and challenges, especially when working with children and adults who may be in difficult circumstances...

What if we could one day cure allergies, like that perennnial, pesky hayfever or your potentially life-threatening peanut allergy? In this mini series, we’ll be exploring the challenges scientists have faced in curing life-changing diagnoses, and what a cure would mean to people who live with these conditions. To answer this question, we’re joined by consultant allergist and paediatric immunologis...

The question of whether vapes and e-cigarettes should be banned outright has arisen again, with Minister of Health Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad saying that the Ministry is only focusing on enforcing current regulations for now. What are the pros and cons of a strict ban on all vaping products? How do other countries, such as New Zealand, approach the regulation of vape use? We explore with Prof D...

The healthcare workforce in Malaysia is currently facing a multitude of challenges that threaten the sustainability and effectiveness of the healthcare system. On this episode of Public Health, we wade through the controversies and confusion over issues like shift hours, on-call allowances, and working conditions, with Azrul Mohd Khalib, CEO of the Galen Centre for Health & Social Policy, and...

What is it like working as the doctor no one likes to see? It’s not uncommon for many of us to fear a visit to the dentist, but in this episode of Humans of Healthcare, we want to hear what it is like for dentists when their patients are scared of them - or, more accurately, the procedures they’re about to do, with consultant paediatric dentist Dr Tengku Maryam Fatimah Tengku Ab Malek. See omnystu...

What if we could one day cure all genetic diseases? Would it be ethical to do so, even if we could? In this mini series, we’ll be exploring the challenges scientists have faced in curing life-changing diagnoses, and what a cure would mean to people who live with these conditions. Joining us for this episode, we have neurogeneticist Dr Azlina Ahmad Annuar and bioethicist Dr Nishakanthi Gopalan, bot...

Your risk of getting cancer increases as you age, but these days, it seems like we hear more and more about people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s being diagnosed with cancer too. Are young adults more at risk of cancer than they were a decade ago? How would this change our approach to screening and treatment of these cancers? In conjunction with World Cancer Day (Tuesday, 4th February), we discuss thi...

On Counsellor’s Corner this month, we dive deep into the heart of relationships—how to show your partner you care, how to handle conflict, and how to grow together. Relationship counsellor Azah Yazmin answers all your questions. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The year started with a shocking bit of news for patients of Universiti Malaya Medical Centre, when the teaching hospital announced that it would be increases charges for consultation, admission, and other services starting 1st January 2025. Prof Dr Nazirah Hasnan, Director of Universiti Malaya Medical Centre, joins us to explain the rationale for the fee increases and how university hospitals dif...

Fee-for-service versus diagnosis-related groups. Value-based care. National health financing. These terms keep showing up in the current heated discussions over healthcare financing. Consultant orthopaedic surgeon Dr Rajesh Singh explains why it’s important to understand the ringgit and sen of healthcare, and helps to break down some of the terms and concepts for us. Image credit: Shutterstock See...

What if we could one day cure Alzheimer’s disease? In this mini series, we’ll be exploring the challenges scientists have faced in curing life-changing diagnoses, and what a cure would mean to people who live with these conditions. To answer this question, we’re joined by consultant geriatrician Prof Dr Tan Maw Pin. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Your heart beats non-stop even before you’re born to pump blood around your body. But how does age affect the way it functions? On this episode of Healthy Ageing, we’re joined by consultant cardiologist Dr Wong Teck Wee to delve into managing heart issues among older adults and how we can all ensure our heart stays as healthy as it can. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for pr...

What would our world look like if we no longer had to worry about infectious childhood diseases? In this series, we’ll look at how we can eliminate the public health challenges that continue to plague us today and how far we are from that goal. Dr Sangeetha Siniah, Paediatric Infectious Diseases Consultant, speaks to us about the common infectious diseases that are still dangerous to children, and...

We’ve often heard about the use of immunotherapy when it comes to cancer treatment, and while we’ve seen incredible advances, there remains more to be done. Not all cancers can be treated by immunotherapy, and not all patients respond to it as well. As researchers continue to develop and study potential immunotherapies to treat cancers, what if a new test could help them track how effective these...