KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 4): Malaysia is currently facing a shortage of oncologists with only 184 doctors in the field serving nationwide, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad. “So far, we have 184 oncologists nationwide based on 2025 data, which is an increase of 60% compared to 2019. Of that number, 65 serve under the Ministry of Health, 107 in the private sector while the rest are still in training. Dzulkefly said cancer remained the third highest cause of death in Malaysia with new cases remaining at a stable rate of around 40,000 per year. Quoting data from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), Dzulkefly said the agency’s data showed that cancer contributed 14.3% of all deaths in 2024, up from 13.8% in 2023.

Source: The Edge Markets February 04, 2026 16:02 UTC