Why A New TB Vaccine Is An Investment Worth Making
It’s been more than 100 years since the BCG vaccine was first introduced as a significant tool in our fight against tuberculosis. While the BCG vaccine is still widely rolled out today, it is largely only effective among infants and young children, leaving adolescents and adults still vulnerable to…
Life Doesn't Pause #4: Is The Perimenopause Brain OK?
Feeling a bit more brain fog than usual? Getting forgetful, but chalking it up to stress and fatigue? If you're a woman in your 40s, there could be another reason - perimenopause. Hormone changes can have an effect on the brain, but are these effects permanent over the longer term? We talk about wh…
Screening for Colorectal Cancer
The idea of undergoing a colonoscopy can be daunting, but it is one of the tools we have for picking up colorectal cancer early, as the disease often has no symptoms in the early stages. So how often should you have a colonoscopy? How do you know if you need one? And is that the only screening opti…
NCD Chronicles #17: “I Want To Survive…For My Family”
How do you go from being an active 44-year-old, to suddenly discovering you have end-stage kidney disease? On this episode of NCD Chronicles, we get a glimpse into Ezi’s life with chronic kidney disease, and how home-based peritoneal dialysis has given him the freedom to continue living a normal li…
Doctor in the House: Are Private Hospitals Liable for Medical Negligence?
The Federal Court recently ruled that private hospitals can also be held liable for medical negligence, meaning that not all the responsibility falls on the doctor alone. What does this mean for the private healthcare system and thus on patients’ healthcare experiences in the private sector? We fin…
Weight Matters – Tackling the Obesity Epidemic in Malaysia Together
The National Health and Morbidity Survey 2019 shows that 1 in 2 adults are either overweight or obese, and 1 in 2 adults have abdominal obesity, which causes various metabolic problems. Prof Dr Rohana Abdul Ghani, Consultant Endocrinologist, and President of the Malaysian Obesity Society, joins us …
Because Feelings Matter #28: “I Was A High Achiever, But I Felt No Joy”
Anita Abu Bakar had always been a high achiever. But throughout childhood, and her early career as an investment banker, she describes feeling an emotional void. Instead, she would frequently experience anxiety, panic and loneliness. It was only a matter of time before she reached breaking point. O…
Mind Matters: Systemic Struggles of Children with ADHD
In Malaysia, it is estimated that between 1.6% and 4.6% of children have ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactive disorder. But statistics do not tell us the reality of the struggles faced by these children, when it comes to managing their daily routines, making friends, coping with school, and being…
Life Doesn't Pause #3: What Women Need To Know About Sex and Relationships in Perimenopause
Women conform to different societal norms as they go through various phases of life, and the perimenopause years are no different. With menopause on the horizon, women in their 40s are forced to set aside their sexual desires and needs, and are not able to talk about sexual dysfunction in their rel…
Doctor in the House: A Critical Shortage of Organ Donors - And Organ Transplants
Organ donation offers a new lease on life for recipients of organ transplants. But in Malaysia, we have a critical shortage of organ donors and thus low transplantation rates. Dr Mohamad Zaimi Abdul Wahab, a transplant nephrologist from Hospital Kuala Lumpur and Vice President of the Malaysian Soci…