KUALA LUMPUR (June 4): Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah recently engaged with over 250 United Kingdom (UK)-based Malaysian healthcare professionals and medical students in Edinburgh, Manchester and London.

Thomson Hospital Kota Damansara, who hosted the series of networking and dialogue sessions, in a statement, said that the sessions provided a good opportunity for the Malaysian medical diaspora to remain connected with the latest updates and developments in Malaysia’s healthcare sector, including perspectives from the private healthcare industry.

Dr Noor Hisham said he had an opportunity to share with Malaysians doctors abroad about the changes that are happening and how they could contribute to improving the Malaysian healthcare system. 

"The healthcare system in Malaysia has faced significant challenges over the past few years but the Covid-19 pandemic has been a blessing in disguise. We have made significant improvements and innovations to overcome the challenges, including introducing digital initiatives such as home monitoring and public private partnerships to deliver vaccinations.

"We are also taking concrete steps to address issues such as housemen contracts and mental health," he said in the statement.

Representing the private healthcare provider perspective was TMC Life Sciences Bhd Group Chief Executive Officer Nadiah Wan and Medical Director of Thomson Hospital Kota Damansara Datuk Dr Mohd Hamzah Kamarulzaman.

Meanwhile, Dr Mohd Hamzah said the growth and potential of the healthcare sector in Malaysia, as well as initiatives by government agencies such as Talentcorp and Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council to help develop the Malaysian healthcare sector through their Returning Expert Programme (REP) and others were shared during the sessions.

“Our doctors and nurses are in demand in many countries and existing medical and nursing training programmes in Malaysia are not able to meet the demand. It is important that we engage with our talent abroad to see how they can contribute to address these gaps," he said.

 Nadiah, meanwhile, said the networking and dialogue sessions are yet another initiative to work alongside the Ministry of Health by engaging with healthcare talents everywhere and promoting new collaborations or opportunities to them.

"In the sessions, we were excited to witness heightened interest to collaborate and contribute back improving Malaysia's healthcare standards, with many healthcare professionals expressing the intention to return to serve in Malaysia," she added.

TMC Life Sciences Bhd is the third largest listed healthcare provider in Malaysia, with brands such as Thomson Hospital Kota Damansara, TMC Fertility Centres, TMC Care Pharmacy and Thomson TCM.