Deputy human resources minister Abdul Rahman Mohamad said cancer alone accounted for 42,054 cases, or 10.92% of the total number of cases recorded by Perkeso.

“These statistics show cancer is among the major contributors to loss of ability among workers in this country,” he said while winding up the committee-stage debate for the Supply (Budget) Bill 2026 under his ministry.

Rahman said Perkeso has been keeping up with the latest advances in cancer treatment, including proton beam therapy (PBT) treatment, a highly accurate form of radiation that has the potential to reduce long-term side effects.

He said Perkeso is exploring opportunities for strategic collaboration with other ministries, especially the health ministry, to conduct a feasibility study on introducing PBT technology in Malaysia.

He also said since the technology is now available in neighbouring countries such as Singapore and Thailand, it is not impossible to make it available in Malaysia as well.

“With support from the health ministry in terms of clinical protocols, technical expertise, capacity building, workforce training and coordination of related policies, the human resources ministry believes Malaysia has huge potential to be among the countries that can offer PBT treatment in the future,” he said.