logo
KPJ Healthcare aims 70% business volume from age-related, NCD cases this year

KPJ Healthcare aims 70% business volume from age-related, NCD cases this year

The Star26-06-2025
KUALA LUMPUR: KPJ Healthcare Bhd expects age-related and non-communicable disease (NCD) cases to contribute about 70 per cent of its business volume this year.
Its president and managing director Chin Keat Chyuan said that currently, about 15 per cent of Malaysia's general population is aged 60 and above.
"Age comes with many associated diseases like NCDs, the three highs that we always talk about, namely high blood sugar, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure.
"And all these lead to many potential issues, including oncology problems such as cancer, which is a major concern facing Malaysians,' he said in a press conference after KPJ Healthcare's 32nd annual general meeting and extraordinary general meeting, here today.
Chin said these challenges represent opportunities for private healthcare providers to better serve the Malaysian population, including addressing international healthcare risk factors.
"This represents a huge opportunity, and in 2025, KPJ will continue to expand our capacity, both in terms of the number of clinicians we have and the services we offer,' he said.
He added that NCDs such as heart and lung diseases, neurological conditions, strokes, cancer, and orthopaedic issues provide KPJ with opportunities to serve patients using advanced surgical and medical solutions.
Commenting on medical tourism, Chin said KPJ is also targeting patients from Indonesia.
"I am also targeting the potential 20 per cent of Indonesia's 270 million population, that is 54 million people, who are currently travelling outside Indonesia, to seek treatment in countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam.
"And according to data from the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council, more than 40 per cent of those Indonesian patients are coming to Malaysia, which is contributing significantly to our health tourism industry,' he said.
He said that this is an immediate business opportunity, especially as the group expands its workforce and increases the number of beds in its hospitals.
"We are (also) optimising all the assets we have, such as magnetic resonance imaging machines, computed tomography scanners, and other technologies we have invested in,' he added.
Also present at the press conference were KPJ Healthcare chairman Tan Sri Dr Ismail Bakar and chief financial officer Mohd Khairul Izzad Mohammed Shamsudin. - Bernama
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

KPJ Sabah launches Zero Harm Campaign to promote safer healthcare
KPJ Sabah launches Zero Harm Campaign to promote safer healthcare

Borneo Post

time7 hours ago

  • Borneo Post

KPJ Sabah launches Zero Harm Campaign to promote safer healthcare

Mohamad Faizal Mohamed, Chief Executive Officer of KPJ Sabah Specialist Hospital (centre), in a group photo with the resident consultants, staff of KPJ Sabah, and guest speakers from KPJ headquarters. KOTA KINABALU (Aug 14): KPJ Sabah Specialist Hospital has reaffirmed its commitment to a harm-free healthcare environment by organising its Zero Harm Campaign at the hospital recently. The campaign aims to foster a workplace culture where no injuries or accidents occur, while creating a safe, reliable and harm-free healthcare setting for patients, staff and visitors. Its key objectives include eliminating preventable harm such as falls, medication errors, surgical errors and infections; promoting a culture of safety through open communication, accountability and continuous learning; strengthening compliance with safety standards and best practices; improving patient outcomes via proactive risk identification and prevention strategies; and empowering staff at all levels through training and awareness. In Malaysia, hospital-level Zero Harm initiatives generally fall under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998 (Act 586), administered by the Ministry of Health (MOH). Guest speakers from KPJ Healthcare Berhad's headquarters included Dr Rafiza Mohamed Nazri, Head of Clinical Governance; Jayanthi Marimuthu, Group Chief Nursing Officer; and Zarihasyum Wan Zein, Head of Pharmacy and Allied Health. Dr Rafiza spoke on ensuring compliance with policies, guidelines and work instructions to prevent sentinel events; Jayanthi discussed infection prevention and control as well as the Safe Surgery, Save Lives programme; while Zarihasyum highlighted initiatives to enhance medication safety and reduce errors across all KPJ hospitals. Also present were Dr Lim Keok Tang, Medical Director, and Mohamad Faizal Mohamed, Chief Executive Officer of KPJ Sabah Specialist Hospital. During the event, management and staff pledged their commitment to the Zero Harm Campaign, promising to prioritise safety in their work and personal lives. The pledge emphasises personal responsibility, hazard identification and reporting, safe practices, continuous improvement, communication and accountability. Moving forward, KPJ Sabah Specialist Hospital will continue to enhance employee and patient safety by implementing specific initiatives and goals, and by expanding the Zero Harm culture across the organisation. For more information, visit:

- Living, Not Working, Longer
- Living, Not Working, Longer

Barnama

time12 hours ago

  • Barnama

- Living, Not Working, Longer

Opinions on topical issues from thought leaders, columnists and editors. The logic seems simple: if we live longer, shouldn't we work longer too? The question of whether Malaysia should increase its retirement age is not new, but it has gained renewed attention following the government's proposal under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) to gradually raise the official retirement age in response to longer life expectancy and economic pressures. Cognitive psychology teaches us that the brain thrives on stimulation. Just like muscles, our cognitive abilities stay sharper when regularly exercised. As a psychologist, I believe that whether working longer is 'better' depends not only on health and economics, but also on the quality of work and how it aligns with the principles of cognitive psychology and positive psychology. From a psychological perspective, the answer depends on more than just economics. Retirement is not merely a financial decision; it is a deeply personal transition that affects identity, purpose, and mental well-being. Work that involves decision-making, problem-solving, and meaningful social interaction can help preserve memory, focus, and mental agility well into later life. The opposite is also true; monotonous, highly stressful, or physically exhausting work can diminish mental well-being and accelerate burnout. Malaysian data backs this up. Findings from the Malaysia Ageing & Retirement Survey (MARS) show that 1 in 5 Malaysians aged 60 and above are still working, and that occupational engagement is linked to better cognitive scores in numeracy and verbal fluency. Notably, cognitively stimulating work appears to offer the greatest benefits, while physically stressful or low-control jobs may have the opposite effect, raising the risk of both physical and mental decline. A separate MARS analysis of over 5,500 adults revealed that a strong sense of purpose in life, a core concept in positive psychology, is independently associated with better memory, verbal fluency, and overall cognitive performance. This relationship holds true for both men and women, whether employed or retired, and is only partly explained by lifestyle or social factors. In other words, roles that preserve purpose whether through paid work, mentoring, volunteering, or community leadership may help sustain brain health as we age. But here is the cautionary note: the benefits of working longer depend heavily on the nature of the work. The landmark Whitehall Studies in the United Kingdom, which tracked thousands of civil servants over decades, found that those in lower-grade, lower-control jobs had significantly higher rates of heart disease, depression, and premature death, even though all participants had the same access to healthcare. Whitehall I showed that men in the lowest grades faced up to three times the mortality risk of those in the highest grades. Whitehall II expanded the scope to include women and revealed that low job control, lack of social support, and chronic work-related stress were strong predictors of poor health outcomes. Addressing job quality The lesson for Malaysia is clear: extending working life without addressing job quality could harm, rather than help, older workers – especially those in high-demand, low-control roles. It's not enough to raise the retirement age; we must ensure that later-life jobs are designed to promote health, autonomy, and engagement. Positive psychology provides a framework for doing this. It emphasises three elements that keep people thriving: mastery, meaning, and connection. For some, working longer in a job they enjoy and excel at can be energising and fulfilling. For others, especially those whose jobs have become physically or mentally taxing, flexible pathways into less intense but still purposeful roles may be far more sustainable. These could include consultancy work, part-time roles, mentoring younger employees, or transitioning into community-based projects. We also have to recognise that ageing is not one-size-fits-all. A 65-year-old may be running marathons or recovering from major surgery. Some individuals may wish to continue contributing through work, while others may prefer to focus on family, health, or personal pursuits. This diversity means that the effects of later-life employment can differ significantly from one person to another. Ultimately, the question of whether to raise the retirement age in Malaysia involves multiple considerations, including health, job quality, personal preferences, and economic factors. Evidence suggests that the impact of working longer can vary widely depending on individual circumstances and the nature of the work. Any approach to this issue would need to account for the diversity of ageing experiences and the complex relationship between employment, well-being, and purpose in later life. -- BERNAMA Assoc Prof Dr Haslina Muhamad (haslina_m@ is an Associate Professor at the Department of Anthropology and Sociology, Universiti Malaya.

Breaking diet myths
Breaking diet myths

The Sun

time12 hours ago

  • The Sun

Breaking diet myths

EVERYBODY can be healthy – Samantha Jackson said when asked about her health philosophy. Jackson, who is a clinical nutritionist, personal trainer and Dexa Radiologist, believes in getting to the core of the problem when it comes to healthy living and progressive weight loss – in other words, visceral fat or 'toxic belly fat'. Breaking diet myths, the Australian, who is also Mel Gibson's trainer, is set to educate Malaysians about food science in two health transformation talks, supported by the Australia Malaysia Business Chamber (Western Australia). On a conquest to demystify fat loss, Jackson sat with a media panel to tease her upcoming talks and the topics that she would be covering. 'I want us to be human,' she said after saying nothing is off the menu as long as we strike a balance. I actually don't want people on any sort of diets because you lose the will to live when you're on a diet. It's miserable. There's no enjoyment. We are humans.' Jackson stressed the importance of having a healthy relationship with food. Likening the body to a car, she said eating not enough food meant a lack of fuel for the body to function. 'You wouldn't drive for two hours in your car if you only had one metre of fuel in the tank. Well, we don't do that to our bodies either,' she said, adding that the point is not to starve. Jackson then explained Saturday's talk is going to cover visceral adipose tissue, also known as toxic belly fat, emphasising the importance of being aware of the science behind how our body work. 'We cannot get rid of toxic belly fat by doing sit-ups, crunches – by exercising or starving, anything like that. So, I'm going to be teaching people how to recognise how much toxic belly they have and what it does inside their body (as well as) what to look out for – and also how to get rid of it and then, how to stop it coming back.' She teased about the four main pillars of the talk, and it is going to be around type two diabetes, cardiovascular, while prefacing the talk is not going to be about weight loss alone. Jackson is a firm believer in fun, so best believe her talk is not going to be a drab one but injected with her signature cheekiness that lifts the sombre mood of the topic. 'So in both talks, I will be getting a little bit cheeky. And I will also be encouraging some participation and questions, too.' She then said on Sunday, she plans to touch on the 'big one' – which is fat loss – as she also shared this is her fourth trip to Malaysia this year. Jackson explained fat loss is not all about diet, because 'if diets worked, we wouldn't keep going on them'. She again reiterated that in her talks, she 'really wants to dispel a lot of myths around the diet industry'. 'It's like a US$70 billion industry and it fails us every single time, but we can actually teach our own bodies to not store fat.' Jackson insisted no food is off limits and that, via her talks, they are going to learn to eat in a way that puts their body into homeostasis – a state of balance, in which the body self-regulates and maintains itself. 'You cannot punish your body into looking and feeling great,' she said, adding that carbs and sugar are friends and not foes. The fat loss journey needs incredible willpower and discipline – many find themselves relapsing after achieving a goal or succumbing to the mundanity of life itself. As such, Jackson revealed that mindset is very important, but first, one needs to be educated. 'It's extremely important. But what's even more important than that is education,' Jackson told theSun. To educate the masses about food science while addressing the dangers of visceral fat, Jackson will be at KL Wellness City Gallery, Bukit Jalil this Saturday (4pm) and Sunday (10am) helping Malaysians develop a healthy relationship with food.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store