According to the World Health Organisation, only 14% of people who require palliative care receive it. The UK, Australia, and Singapore have already embedded palliative care within their national health systems, making it a standard part of universal healthcare.
Malaysia, however, lags behind. An estimated 100,000 patients require palliative care annually, yet only one in 10 can access it. The demand is expected to climb to nearly 240,000 patients a year by 2030, with services in both the public and private sectors struggling to keep pace.
This need for evidence-guided palliative care is becoming ever more urgent as Malaysia transitions into an ageing society and faces a rising burden of chronic diseases.
Since 1991, Hospis Malaysia has been the nation’s leading provider of community and home-based palliative care.
Its multidisciplinary team conducts more than 11,000 home visits and makes over 27,000 calls every year, offering patients and families comfort, guidance, and dignity during the most challenging times.
Kathleen Chew, chairman of Hospis Malaysia, said: “Palliative care is no longer an optional service – it is essential healthcare. It is about dignity, humanity, and ensuring that no patient suffers needlessly and no caregiver feels abandoned.
“Hospis Malaysia has shown what is possible; now we must aim to make this the standard for every Malaysian family – a promise for the future of our healthcare system.”
She added that palliative care is not about giving up, but about choosing comfort, dignity, and support in the face of a serious illness. It helps families find strength, reduces suffering, and leaves behind memories of peace rather than potentially trauma.
“When families see their loved ones suffer needlessly, the pain doesn’t end with their passing – it stays with the survivors,” Chew said. “With proper support, palliative care eases that pain and brings healing. That is the real power of this work.”
The organisation also trains nearly 1,000 healthcare professionals and medical students annually.
For Dr Ednin Hamzah, CEO of Hospis Malaysia, palliative care is best understood as medical and psycho-social support that helps patients live as fully and comfortably as possible while managing a serious illness.
It is not limited to cancer; it also supports people with advanced heart, lung, kidney and liver disease, AIDS, and progressive neurological conditions such as motor neuron disease (MND), multiple sclerosis, and dementia.
The focus is on relieving symptoms of pain, breathlessness, fatigue, or anxiety, while also guiding families through complex medical decisions. Palliative care works alongside curative treatments, and can begin at any stage of illness, not just at the end of life.
Delivered by a multidisciplinary team – doctors, nurses, therapists, and counsellors – it helps patients remain comfortable and, wherever possible, enables the patient to choose to be cared for at home so they can continue life there surrounded by loved ones.
“Palliative care is about managing the challenges of illness – controlling pain, easing distressing symptoms, and giving patients the confidence to make choices about their care,” Ednin said. “It is medical and supportive care that restores quality to the time people have, however long that may be.”
He added that building national capacity is just as important as treating patients. “Our work goes beyond the bedside. By training doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals, and by embedding palliative care into Malaysia’s health system, we can ensure every family has access to the relief and dignity they deserve.”
Themed “A promise of dignity, united in care”, this year’s biennial gala will bring together leaders, philanthropists, advocates, and distinguished guests including Yang Amat Mulia Tengku Datin Paduka Zatashah Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.
There will also be a special sharing by family advocate Norra Ismail, a performance by Atilia Haron, and a charity auction.
“The gala is not just an event,” said Ednin. “It’s a platform to show how every contribution translates directly into care – another patient visited, another nurse trained, another family supported. That is how we build a healthcare system where palliative care is available to all who need it.”
Funds raised during the gala evening will be channelled towards supporting Hospis Malaysia’s work in expanding access to community-based palliative care and strengthening the training for healthcare professionals nationwide.
For more information about Hospis Malaysia, visit their website. To join the gala, visit this website or email [email protected]. Also follow Hospis Malaysia on Facebook and Instagram.