PETALING JAYA: Malaysia faces a critical shortage of trained haematologists as the burden of blood-related disorders continues to rise.
While the ideal ratio is one specialist per 100,000 people, Malaysian Society of Haematology (MSH) president Prof Dr Gan Gin Gin noted there are only about 120 clinical haematologists nationwide.
Of these specialists, who manage everything from diagnosis to prevention, roughly 60% serve in the public sector.
The shortage was a key focus during a meeting between the MSH and the American Society of Hematology in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
Dr Gan highlighted that while breakthrough treatments – such as chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy and bispecific antibodies – are transforming outcomes for blood cancer patients, local access remains a hurdle.
These advanced therapies offer hope where conventional treatments fail, yet high costs and infrastructure gaps limit their availability in Malaysia and the broader region.
The meeting attracted a strong turnout of international experts and delegates from across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan.
