30/06/2025

MONDAY | JUNE 30, 2025

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Recognising unsung care heroes W HEN we think of healthcare, doctors and nurses often come to mind. However, there is another group of professionals working tirelessly behind the scenes, the allied health professionals (AHP). During the Covid-19 pandemic, respiratory therapists and laboratory technologists were instrumental in managing ventilators and processing test samples, ensuring timely, life saving care. COMMENT by Assoc Prof Dr Phelim Yong and L. Mageswary

Addressing need for recognition and resources Despite their vital role, AHP’s efforts often go unseen. The Allied Health Professions Act 2016 (Act 774) addresses the registration of individuals practising as AHP, elevating them in Malaysia. However, beyond registration, greater recognition and investment in AHP are essential for their continued contribution to the healthcare sector. Recognising the contributions of AHP is essential to raising public awareness, showcasing their value and creating greater opportunities for professional growth and recognition. One way to enhance visibility is by incorporating AHP into national healthcare policies, ensuring their roles are acknowledged in workforce planning and service delivery models. Additionally, public awareness campaigns can educate communities on the services that AHP provide, fostering appreciation for their work. Establishing recognition programmes, such as national awards or career advancement pathways, can also motivate and retain talent within the profession. In terms of resources, more efforts should be made to expand educational opportunities for aspiring AHP. Universities and training institutions should be encouraged to offer specialised AHP programmes, ensuring a steady pipeline of skilled professionals. Moreover, increasing access to continuous professional development courses, workshops and certification programmes will enable AHP to stay updated with the latest

These experts play a pivotal role in delivering patient-centred care, ensuring that patients receive comprehensive services, from diagnosis to recovery and rehabilitation. Who Are AHP? AHP encompass a wide range of specialists such as medical laboratory scientist, physiotherapists, radiographers, dietitians, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists and many more. They provide essential services in diagnostics, rehabilitation, therapeutic services and prevention. Whether they help patients regain mobility after an accident or diagnose complex conditions using cutting-edge technology, AHP are integral to healthcare delivery. AHP are the backbone of sustainable rehabilitative care. Their role goes far beyond diagnosis or acute hospital care. They are essential to a holistic, people-centred approach that begins before diagnosis and continues through recovery, especially within primary health care and community-based settings. Impact of AHP AHP perform crucial tasks that directly impact patient outcomes. For instance, radiographers use imaging technologies like X-rays and MRIs to provide the data doctors rely on for critical decisions. Clinical laboratory technologists analyse blood samples, providing essential information for treatment plans. Rehabilitation services further highlight AHP’s contributions. Physiotherapists help patients recover mobility after surgery or injury while occupational therapists promote independence in everyday activities.

AHP expertise in adopting new diagnostic tools and therapeutic techniques help enhance service delivery and improve patient outcomes. – BERNAMAPIC

advancements in their fields.

sectors is vital. From diagnosis to rehabilitation, the contributions of AHP are essential in patient care. As healthcare continue to evolve, it is crucial to recognise and support these professionals who ensure that every patient receives comprehensive, high-quality care.

Innovators in healthcare AHP are more than just support staff, they are innovators driving advancements in healthcare in a multidisciplinary team. Their expertise in adopting new diagnostic tools and therapeutic techniques help enhance service delivery and improve patient outcomes. Public-private partnerships play a key role in transforming healthcare systems. Meeting the human capacity needs of the AHP is not something we can do alone; it requires strong partnerships. Collaboration between academia, the government and private

AssocProf Dr Phelim Yong is the head of the School of Biosciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at Taylor’s University and L. Mageswary is the director at the Allied Health Sciences Division in the Health Ministry. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com Not all leaders shout – some listen, lead with care and quiet strength

colleagues – the ones who speak softly but think deeply, the ones who hesitate before answering, not because they are unsure but because they are weighing their words. I make a point to notice them, to encourage them because I know what it feels like to be overlooked simply because you are not loud and I know what it feels like to carry weight silently. So, if you have ever felt like you do not fit the mould of a “typical” leader, if you are the one who stays in the background, observing more than you interrupt, writes rather than performs – I want to tell you this: you don’t need to raise your voice to raise the bar. You don’t have to be loud to lead. You don’t have to be the centre of attention to make a difference. Let your work speak. Let your presence speak. And when it is your time to speak, make sure it matters. Because not all leaders shout. Some listen first, some build from the edges and some lead with calm, care and quiet consistency. In the end, when the noise fades, it is often their impact that lasts the longest. DrNahrizul Adib Kadri is a professor of biomedical engineering at the Faculty of Engineering and the principal of Ibnu Sina Residential College, Universiti Malaya. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com

reframes how we see strength. David did not win because he defied the odds, he won because he understood the odds better. Goliath was heavy and slow, David was agile and precise. What looked like weakness – being small, quiet and underestimated – was actually an edge. The same can be said for leadership. What we dismiss as passivity may actually be perspective. What we see as indecision may be reflection. Being quiet does not mean you are unsure; it often means you are thinking, planning and choosing your words carefully. That kind of leadership – the kind that listens more than it talks – is desperately needed today. Some cultures understand this better than others. In Japan, there is a deep cultural appreciation for ma – the space between things. It is found in music, design and conversation. Silence is not awkward; it is respectful. Pauses carry meaning – what is not said can be just as powerful as what is. Speaking less does not mean knowing less; it often means knowing when to speak. Imagine how different our institutions, classrooms and boardrooms would be if we respected that principle more – if we did not equate noise with knowledge and if we made space for quiet leadership to rise. I see this often in my students and

COMMENT by Dr Nahrizul Adib Kadri

I WAS never the loud one – not in school; not at family gatherings; not in lecture halls, faculty meetings or boardrooms. I have never felt the need to raise my voice just to be seen. I don’t dominate a room – I don’t seek the centre – but I have always been there. And over time, I have come to realise that being loud is not the same as being effective and presence does not require volume. We live in a world that often rewards noise. The loudest voices get the clicks, the most confident ones, the spotlight. The extroverted, the assertive and the performative – they are labelled natural leaders. But here is the truth: visibility is not leadership and performance is not presence. Back in school, I was not the most brilliant, nor the most charismatic. I was somewhere in the middle – quiet, observant and a little nerdy. I did not attract crowds but I built friendships that spanned groups: the overachievers, the rebels and the in betweens. I was the guy who would listen while others talked, who helped organise without demanding credit. Somehow, that made me trustworthy.

And maybe that is why I ended up as president of the Arts Club – not because I asked for it but because people knew I would show up, get things done and treat everyone fairly. That moment taught me something that stayed with me: leadership is not about drawing attention; it is about holding responsibility, even when no one is watching. Years later, that same quiet rhythm carried me into my professional life. As an academic, I have led departments, managed student communities, sat on panels and even directed a corporate communications centre for a major university. I have helped the Universiti Malaya community (lecturers, staff and students) to appear in the media nearly 2,000 times but you will not find me making grand speeches or chasing virality. My approach is different – quieter, more deliberate. I lead by doing, by writing, by connecting people and by creating room for others to grow. And still, I have never needed to shout. Malcolm Gladwell, in his 2013 book David and Goliath , talks about the “advantage of disadvantage”. He

“Being quiet does not mean you are unsure; it often means you are thinking, planning and choosing your words carefully. That kind of leadership – the kind that listens more than it talks – is desperately needed today.