CYBERJAYA: Healthcare workers need better training to assist patients in quitting smoking and vaping, while lung disease screening and treatment methods should also be strengthened, says the Malaysian Council for Tobacco Control (MCTC).
Its chairman, Prof Dr Murallitharan Munisamy, said yesterday’s National Tobacco Control Conference (NTCC) focused on four key areas: tobacco control clinical training, lung health clinical training, tobacco policy development and lung health policy development.
He said about 100 personnel from the Health Ministry would undergo the training programme.
“The goal is to train doctors, nurses and radiographers to upgrade their skills so they can identify early signs of lung disease, manage patients more effectively and help them quit smoking or vaping.
“By training healthcare professionals nationwide, they can then transfer the skills and knowledge gained here to colleagues at their respective institutions.”
Dr Murallitharan, in an interview, also raised concerns over the affordability of lung cancer screening, noting that some Malaysians face annual screening costs of up to RM10,000.
To address the issue, he said the LungShield programme would be introduced to provide micro-insurance coverage for lung cancer screening and diagnosis at about RM179 annually.
The programme combines AI-assisted chest X-rays with specialist medical assessment to help detect signs of lung cancer, tuberculosis and occupational lung diseases.
“If abnormalities are detected, the micro-insurance component will help cover further diagnostic procedures such as CT scans and biopsies until a confirmed diagnosis is made,” said Dr Murallitharan.
He added that participants could visit any public or private clinic nationwide equipped with chest X-ray facilities to enroll in the programme and undergo screening.
“If abnormalities are found, patients can then be referred to specialists at either government or private hospitals nationwide for further examinations and a full diagnosis.
“This allows patients to complete the diagnostic process within three to four days instead of waiting weeks or even months under the current system,” he said.
