Malaysia faces shortage of oncologists
Malaysia is facing a serious shortage of cancer or oncology facilities and specialists, particularly in government hospitals.
This scenario raises concerns that patients may not receive timely treatment, thereby increasing mortality rates.
Utusan Malaysia reported that, based on Health Ministry data, there are only 175 oncologists across the country.
Meanwhile, the recorded number of cancer patients s of 2020 stands at 48,639, meaning the ratio is at of one doctor for 277 patients.
The National Cancer Institute predicts that the number of cancer patients will double by 2040 from the 48,639 cases recorded in 2020.
This indicates that one in every 10 people in Malaysia will receive a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime.
In terms of treatment centres, Malaysia has only nine such facilities under the Health Ministry, including the cancer institute in Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur Hospital, Penang Hospital, and the Sabah Women and Children’s Hospital.
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia community health specialist Professor Dr Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh, said that the capacity of oncologists and treatment centres is insufficient to meet the increasing demand.
She said an even greater concern is that patients are required to wait longer for appointments and treatment, which in turn reduces their chances of recovery.
“The facilities for treating and screening cancer patients in Malaysia are still not satisfactory. Furthermore, the number of cancer specialists is inadequate to cater to the growing patient numbers.
“We have several government hospitals offering treatment, but their numbers are far from sufficient,” she told Utusan Malaysia.
The National Cancer Institute revealed that five types of cancer are most prevalent among Malaysians, namely breast cancer, colorectal or colon cancer, lung cancer, nasopharyngeal or head and neck cancer, and liver cancer.
Dr Sharifa said this situation forces many patients to travel long distances to receive treatment, endure prolonged waiting times for appointments, and, in more distressing cases, some do not receive treatment in time because their condition has become too critical.
“This is happening because government hospitals are increasingly short of specialists, leading to longer waiting times for treatment and raising the risk of patients losing their lives.
“Delays in treatment can cause cancer to spread and worsen. Some patients initially have a chance of recovery, but due to a slow and inefficient system, they eventually lose all hope of survival,” she said.
Dr Sharifa said the government must urgently increase the number of cancer treatment centres and train more specialists to tackle this crisis.
“We can no longer afford delays. We need to expand treatment facilities, increase the number of specialists, and ensure that all citizens have access to quality treatment without having to wait too long.
“Additionally, awareness of the importance of early screening must also be broadened so that more patients can be diagnosed early before their disease becomes too severe,” she said.
According to data released by the Health Ministry, men are most commonly affected by lung cancer at a rate of 17 per cent, while women most frequently suffer from breast cancer, accounting for 32.9 per cent of total cases.
Taking these two cancers as examples, if lung cancer is detected early at Stage 1, the survival rate is 37.1 per cent, but if diagnosed late at Stage 4, the patient’s chances drop to just 6.3 per cent.
For breast cancer, patients have a very high chance of survival if detected at Stage 1, with a rate of 87.5 per cent.
However, if diagnosed at Stage 4, their survival rate decreases to 23.3 per cent.
Category: MJN enews
