Health & Living

Quality in healthcare means providing the care the patient needs when the patient needs it, in an affordable, safe, effective manner. In order to deliver quality in medical services, there are more things that happen in the back end of healthcare – a system of check and balance – that patients and their family members are not privy to but receive the benefits of. IJN’s Director o...

Dr George Lee returns to discuss the latest medical news. Expect deep insights delivered with generous humour. Since Malaysia’s HPV vaccination programme was introduced in 2010, we have achieved near-universal immunisation, reaching an estimated 250,000 thirteen-year-old girls each year. In conjunction with cervical cancer awareness month in January, we talk to Dr Saidatul Norbaya bt Buang,...

One of the most common New Year's resolutions is to get more sleep. For the first show of the new year, neuroscientist and geneticist Dr Azlina Ahmad Annuar returns with the latest on sleep study so we can all get a good night’s worth of rest. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sabah and Sarawak suffer huge inequities in terms of healthcare resources. The remote and rural population is often underserved in terms of access to healthcare facilities and trained medical professionals. In Pakatan Harapan’s manifesto, the coalition pledged to decentralise healthcare and grant more decision-making rights to the two state governments. We check in with the MP of Kuching Dr...

We always think that young people are carefree and contented, with nothing to worry about. But in reality, young people struggle just as much as adults do to cope with mental health problems. Chartered health psychologist Dr Hera Lukman speaks to us about the youth perspective of mental health. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Price gouging in the pharmaceutical industry has become a common feature of health news. Who can forget Martin Shkreli’s infamous price hike of the HIV drug Daraprim, which went from USD13.50 to $750 in the summer of 2015? Are international laws tough enough to ensure that the bottom line is the people and not profit? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr George Lee returns to discuss the latest medical news. Expect deep insights delivered with generous humour. In December last year, Brazil reported a world first: a baby born following a uterus transplantation from a deceased donor. Dato’ Dr Prashant Nadkarni, fertility specialist, joins Dr George Lee to discuss this case and other recent developments in assisted reproductive technology (A...

On 1 January 2019, the ban on smoking in eateries came into force. While this is a bold move towards discouraging smoking and protecting non-smokers, we ask: are we adequately addressing smoking as an addiction? We speak to Assoc Prof Dr Amer Siddiq bin Amer Nordin, Consultant Psychiatrist, University Malaya Medical Centre. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s the new year, time for making resolutions to improve yourself. Consultant clinical psychologist Paul Jambunathan shares his tips on how to stick to resolutions, and how to pick yourself up if you fail. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Congenital heart disease is the most common type of birth defects. IJN's consultant paediatric cardiologist, Dr Marhisham Che Mood explains the treatment options for those who require them. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Health and Morbidity Survey conducted last year showed that 34.9 per cent of Malaysian children between the ages of 13 and 17 show a prevalence toward Internet addiction. What are our children doing online, and who are they interacting with? How will technology-assisted communication shape the relationships they develop? This is an edited recording of the panel discussion that was held at the BF...

According to the Health Ministry, the MMR immunisation coverage dropped to 92 per cent in 2017. We need more than 95 per cent coverage to provide herd immunity for measles. In parallel with this, cases of measles have gone up. That’s just the case of one vaccine-preventable disease. Should we follow Australia’s “No Jab No Play, No Jab No Pay” policy? What about individual r...

The Association of Optometrists of the UK recently revealed that children are developing permanent problems with their vision because they are not being given eye tests early enough. Find out what some of the common sight problems are, how blue light from our devices can be damaging, and what can be done to maintain our children's eyesight. This is an edited recording of the one-on-one special ses...

The education system in Malaysia can be quite demanding on the kids, even from as early as preschool, but does it cater to those with learning difficulties? Is technology in the classroom helpful or distracting? Could specialised schools be the answer or could it cause more damage? Our panel explores neurodiversity and shares how children can learn effectively, regardless of their abilities. This...

Several cases of medical negligence made the news this year, among them a case involving Hospital Kuala Lumpur. We look at patients’ rights with medico legal lawyer Dhinesh Bhaskaran, with a focus on how government hospitals are held liable for medical negligence.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sleep deprivation can mean a lot more than a bad night’s sleep. A poor diet can lead to weight gain, which can cause sleep apnoea. We examine how sleep apnoea can affect your heart and overall health. This panel featured  Dr Usha Rani George, Consultant General and Chest Physician; Dr Shailendra Sivalingam, Consultant ENT, Head & Neck Surgeon; Dr Mohd Kamal Mohd Arshad, Consult...

A high-cholesterol diet can wreak havoc on more than just your heart – it can also affect your legs, neck and kidneys, among others. We discuss how to prevent and manage bad cholesterol levels. This is an edited recording of the panel discussion that was held at the BFM Extreme Health event on July 28th, presented by Sunway Medical Centre.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy infor...

Cigarette smoking remains a major risk factor for lung cancer, but increasingly, non-smokers are being diagnosed as well. We explore why. This is an edited recording of the panel discussion that was held at the BFM Extreme Health event on July 28th, presented by Sunway Medical Centre. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is there such a thing as too much exercise? What causes seemingly healthy and fit people to collapse in the middle of exercising? We talk about how much exercise is enough, and when we are pushing ourselves beyond our limits. This is an edited recording of the panel discussion that was held at the BFM Extreme Health event on July 28th, presented by Sunway Medical Centre. See omnystudio.com/listene...

Dr George Lee returns to discuss the latest medical news. Expect deep insights delivered with generous humour. Earlier this week, the Health Ministry announced  that it has approved the biosimilar version of trastuzumab, a targeted therapy for women with HER2-positive breast cancer. The biosimilar version will significantly reduce the cost of treatment, which currently costs RM130,000 a year....

Resident neuroscientist and geneticist Dr Azlina Ahmad Annuar wraps up the year with the latest in brain science by introducing us to yet another newly discovered body part – the endorestiform nucleus . She also describes the latest study that explains how babies create a map of their bodies by kicking in the womb. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

HIV used to be concentrated among people who inject drugs. Today, sexual transmission of HIV is on the rise and we are looking for new ways to curb the pandemic. What can we learn from the success of harm reduction in Malaysia, so that we can transfer these lessons to prevent HIV among new at-risk groups? Azrul Mohd Khalib, CEO, Galen Centre for Health & Social Policy, joins us on our monthly...

Colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer among Malaysians, and is diagnosed at a relatively late stage compared to other developed Asian countries. Therefore, there is tremendous potential for the development of new biomarker discoveries and alternative therapies in the diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer. Dr Oon Chern Ein, a researcher in medical oncology from the Institute for...

We bring the latest in health news. Contract pharmacists have received letters to confirm their permanent posts, but have not been told where they will be posted. Meanwhile, many others have been disappointed as they were not offered permanent posts. We speak to the Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society for some clarifications. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We bring the latest in health news. In conjunction with International Anti-Corruption Day on December 9th, we look at the complex issue of corruption in the healthcare system. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.