PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia needs another 220 oncologists to treat optimal level of cancer patients based on the 28 million total population in the country.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subrmaniam said there was a shortage of oncologists and specialists to treat the disease, as good specialists doctors tend to go into private sectors.

“At present there are 80 oncologists in the country serving in the government, higher education and private sectors. We don’t even have enough pathologist and radiotherapist, as well as experts in the field.

“We are in discussion to train doctors and nurses via a master’s programme using the National Cancer Institute in Putrajaya as a training centre in collaboration with Universiti Malaya.

“There are 35,000 to 40,000 new cancer cases with mostly breast, lung and colon cancers,” he said after a working visit at the National Cancer Institute in Putrajaya, here, today.

The ministry was thinking of its own pathway for training doctors to be specialists in general, Dr Subramaniam added.

Dr Subramanaiam also said that all cancer treating hospitals in Johor, Likas, Kuching and Penang required oncologist, radiotherapist and specialists.

Source: New Straits Times