Health Ministry seeks to close trauma care gaps between peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak

The Ministry of Health in Malaysia is working towards creating a more integrated national trauma network to ensure timely and appropriate care for trauma patients across the country.

Director-General of Health, Datuk Dr. Mahathar Abd Wahab, emphasized the importance of a cohesive trauma care system, highlighting the need for improvements in areas such as bystander response, emergency services, and rehabilitation.

With trauma being a major public health issue, particularly among younger populations and in light of the country's aging demographic, the initiative aims to bridge the gap between urban and rural access to care.

The Ministry is focusing on translating policies into actionable plans and involving diverse societal sectors in strengthening both treatment and prevention strategies.

GEORGE TOWN, Sept 13 — The Ministry of Health (MOH) aims to develop a more integrated national trauma network to ensure patients receive the right care, at the right place and at the right time, regardless of where they are in Malaysia.

Director-General of Health Datuk Dr Mahathar Abd Wahab said the initiative was important to ensure a more interconnected trauma care system while narrowing access gaps between urban and rural areas, as well as Sabah and Sarawak.

He said the trauma chain of survival must be strengthened comprehensively, from bystander response and first aid at the scene to pre-hospital emergency medical services and transportation, resuscitation at the Emergency Department, definitive trauma care and rehabilitation.

“The chain is only as strong as its weakest link. We need seamless coordination across all these stages, with the right skills, adequate resources and the right system working together as one continuum of care,” he said when launching the Malaysian Trauma Conference (MTC) 2026 here today.

He said access to quality trauma care should not depend on a patient’s location, as every Malaysian deserved timely and appropriate trauma care.

Meanwhile, he said up to 30 per cent of trauma deaths were considered preventable based on the first National Trauma Registry report published in 2008.

Dr Mahathar, who was among the report’s co-authors, said the situation highlighted the need for a comprehensive transformation of the country’s trauma care system, stressing that “in trauma, every second, every minute counts”.

He said trauma remained a major public health challenge, particularly among the younger and working-age population, with transport-related injuries continuing to be a major contributor to preventable deaths.

He added that trauma care was also becoming increasingly complex as Malaysia moved towards an ageing population, with more patients presenting with multiple non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease.

“These NCDs significantly influence how patients respond to trauma, how quickly they deteriorate and how they recover. Therefore, we can no longer look at trauma care in isolation,” he said.

Dr Mahathar said the National Trauma Transformation Conference Roadshow (NTTR) 2025-2026, involving six locations across Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak, was implemented to address these challenges systematically by aligning local clinical practices with global benchmarks, sharing best practices and promoting continuous quality improvement.

He stressed that MOH’s challenge now was not merely to produce policies and guidelines, but to translate them into effective and actionable implementation plans.

“Our challenge is not about producing policies and guidelines. Our challenge is translating policies and guidelines into actionable implementation plans. In trauma management, this is not an option,” he said.

He said strengthening trauma care also required a whole-of-society approach involving government agencies, the private sector, NGOs, academia and local communities, with the focus extending beyond treatment to injury prevention.

“This includes strengthening injury prevention, safety advocacy, public education and targeted interventions, particularly for road traffic and occupational injuries. Prevention must be an integral part of our national trauma strategy,” he said.

He added that the ultimate goal was to ensure that when a serious injury occurred, the system was ready, healthcare personnel were prepared, services were connected and patients received the care they needed without delay. — Bernama

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马来西亚卫生部正致力于建立一个更加一体化的国家创伤网络，以确保全国各地的创伤患者都能得到及时、适当的治疗。

卫生总监拿督马哈塔·阿卜杜勒·瓦哈卜博士强调了建立协调一致的创伤护理体系的重要性，并指出需要在旁观者反应、紧急服务和康复等领域进行改进。

鉴于创伤是一个重要的公共卫生问题，尤其是在年轻人群体中，而且考虑到该国人口老龄化，该倡议旨在弥合城乡在获得医疗保健方面的差距。

该部正致力于将政策转化为可操作的计划，并让社会各界参与到加强治疗和预防策略中来。

乔治市，9月13日讯——卫生部（MOH）旨在建立一个更加一体化的国家创伤网络，以确保患者无论身处马来西亚何处，都能在正确的时间、正确的地点获得正确的护理。

卫生总监拿督马哈塔·阿卜杜勒·瓦哈卜医生表示，这项举措非常重要，可以确保创伤护理系统更加互联互通，同时缩小城乡地区以及沙巴和砂拉越之间的就医差距。

他表示，必须全面加强创伤生存链，从旁观者的反应和现场急救，到院前紧急医疗服务和运输，再到急诊室的复苏、最终的创伤护理和康复。

“链条的强度取决于其最薄弱的环节。我们需要在所有这些阶段之间进行无缝协调，拥有合适的技能、充足的资源和合适的系统，共同构成一个连续的护理体系，”他今天在马来西亚创伤大会（MTC）2026启动仪式上说道。

他表示，获得优质创伤护理不应取决于患者的地理位置，因为每个马来西亚人都应该得到及时、适当的创伤护理。

与此同时，他表示，根据 2008 年发布的第一份国家创伤登记报告，高达 30% 的创伤死亡被认为是可预防的。

报告的共同作者之一马哈塔尔医生表示，这种情况凸显了该国创伤护理系统进行全面改革的必要性，并强调“在创伤治疗中，每一秒、每一分钟都至关重要”。

他表示，创伤仍然是一个重大的公共卫生挑战，尤其是在年轻人和劳动年龄人口中，与交通相关的伤害仍然是导致可预防死亡的主要原因。

他还补充说，随着马来西亚人口老龄化，创伤护理也变得越来越复杂，越来越多的患者患有多种非传染性疾病（NCD），如糖尿病、高血压和心血管疾病。

“这些非传染性疾病会显著影响患者对创伤的反应、病情恶化的速度以及康复情况。因此，我们不能再孤立地看待创伤护理了，”他说道。

马哈塔医生表示，2025-2026 年全国创伤转化大会巡回展（NTTR）将在马来西亚半岛、沙巴和砂拉越的六个地点举行，旨在通过将当地临床实践与全球标准接轨、分享最佳实践和促进持续质量改进，系统地应对这些挑战。

他强调，卫生部现在面临的挑战不仅是制定政策和指导方针，还要将它们转化为有效且可操作的实施计划。

“我们面临的挑战不在于制定政策和指南，而在于将政策和指南转化为可执行的实施计划。在创伤管理领域，这根本行不通。”他说道。

他表示，加强创伤护理还需要全社会的参与，包括政府机构、私营部门、非政府组织、学术界和当地社区，重点不仅在于治疗，还在于预防伤害。

“这包括加强伤害预防、安全宣传、公众教育和有针对性的干预措施，特别是针对道路交通事故和职业伤害。预防必须成为我们国家创伤战略不可或缺的一部分，”他说道。

他补充说，最终目标是确保在发生严重伤亡事故时，系统能够及时运转，医护人员准备就绪，各项服务衔接顺畅，患者能够迅速获得所需的治疗。——马新社

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