MOH TARGETS TO IMPROVE FREQUENCY OF MNCR REPORTS

PUTRAJAYA, July 19 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Health (MOH) aims to improve the timeliness of Malaysian National Cancer Registry (MNCR) reports, with efforts to focus on more frequent publication.

The Ministry of Health in a statement today said that the initiative aims to provide up-to-date data, where the actions taken are in line with targeted strategies and improve results in cancer prevention and care.

"Throughout this effort, MOH will maintain the accuracy and completeness of the information to ensure the integrity and reliability of the data," it said.

According to the statement, the latest cancer data in Malaysia is important to guide, plan and implement more effective measures for the prevention, control and treatment of cancer.

The Ministry of Health said that in general, Malaysia saw a significant increase in reported cancer cases from 2017 to 2021, partly due to the implementation of the new notification system and circular instructions.

"Malaysia continues to struggle with a large burden of cancer. Therefore, it is important for stakeholders to be actively involved in the prevention, control and treatment of cancer by utilising this data strategically in planning," it said.

MNCR was established in 2007, starting with manual reporting. During the period from 2007 to 2018, two five-year reports were published to describe the burden of cancer in Malaysia.

In 2018, online reporting of cancer cases through the Malaysian Health Data Warehouse website was introduced to streamline the data collection process.

Additionally, a circular in 2020 mandated online cancer reporting, leading to a significant increase in cases reported to the MNCR.

For access to all newly published reports and e-books, the public can visit the National Cancer Institute website at the link http://nci.moh.gov.my or the KKM website http://moh.gov.my.

-- BERNAMA