KUALA LUMPUR: Delays occurring before patients reach stroke centres continue to pose a significant obstacle to prompt treatment in Malaysia, according to a new report titled Strengthening Stroke System Readiness Across ASEAN, unveiled today by Siemens Healthineers at Hospital Management Asia 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand.
The report draws on insights from seven leading specialists across Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, including Professor Dr Khairul Azmi bin Abd Kadir, a senior consultant neurointerventional radiologist and endovascular neurosurgeon at Universiti Malaya Medical Centre. Experts identified several barriers to timely treatment in Malaysia: low public awareness of stroke symptoms and transportation challenges cause many patients to arrive at hospital outside the critical treatment window, while delays in inter-hospital transfers and limited access to specialists—mainly concentrated in major urban centres—further restrict rapid access to appropriate care.
The World Health Organisation’s South-East Asia Region accounts for over 40% of global stroke mortality, and bears nearly half of the developing world’s total stroke burden, with approximately one-third of all stroke survivors experiencing severe long-term disability. Stroke is Malaysia’s third leading cause of death, with the burden exacerbated by rising rates of diabetes, obesity, and hyperlipidaemia[3], alongside an ageing population.
“Every healthcare system across Southeast Asia is at a different stage in its stroke care journey, but many of the challenges are shared,” said Fabrice Leguet, Managing Director ASEAN and Head of Enterprise Services Asia-Pacific & Japan, Siemens Healthineers.
“In Malaysia, this means ensuring patients recognise the signs of stroke and reach the appropriate centre in time, regardless of how far they live from a major city,” said Ai Li Siow, Managing Director of Siemens Healthineers for Singapore, Malaysia, and Brunei. “Improving outcomes depends on how effectively the entire stroke system operates—from recognising symptoms and activating emergency medical services to rapid diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation.”
Malaysia has made notable progress in stroke care over the past decade, establishing dedicated stroke units, national pathways, and expanding access to clot-dissolving treatments (intravenous thrombolysis) and thrombectomy procedures. Stroke is increasingly recognised as a medical emergency, prompting hospitals to develop multidisciplinary teams and enhance neuroimaging capabilities to improve coordination across the stroke pathway.
However, delayed patient presentation—driven by limited public awareness and transportation hurdles—costs valuable time before hospital arrival. Access to advanced stroke services remains predominantly centred in major urban areas, creating disparities for patients in rural and peripheral regions. Workforce shortages further strain the system: Malaysia has only one neurologist for every 323,000 people, most based in cities.
Additional challenges include inter-hospital transfer delays and inconsistent imaging protocols, with many hospitals still routing stroke patients through emergency departments rather than directly to computed tomography (CT) scans.
Universiti Malaya Medical Centre, a major academic tertiary referral hospital, offers 24/7 access to mechanical thrombectomy and complex neurovascular interventions, supported by state-of-the-art biplane angiography technology. Beyond acute treatment, the centre is actively involved in education, research, and regional capacity building, training specialists and sharing best practices with other institutions.
Experts highlighted the value of hub-and-spoke referral models—enabling regional hospitals to quickly identify patients requiring thrombectomy and transfer them efficiently to capable centres—as a means of extending specialist services beyond Malaysia’s major cities.
Artificial intelligence (AI) was identified as a promising tool to address several of these challenges simultaneously. Experts emphasised its potential to support rapid detection of severe strokes and automate hospital notifications, ensuring specialist teams are prepared before a patient’s arrival. AI-enabled remote imaging support could also assist hospitals facing workforce shortages or serving geographically dispersed populations without on-site specialists. However, they stressed that technology is most effective when integrated into well-designed clinical pathways, supported by trained professionals, robust referral networks, and standardised care protocols.
Beyond infrastructure expansion, experts agreed that enhancing stroke preparedness in Malaysia hinges on faster recognition, clearer protocols, and more consistent access to specialists. Immediate priorities include training emergency medical services to identify stroke symptoms and activate hospital pathways prior to arrival, enabling eligible patients to bypass emergency departments and proceed directly to CT scans. Establishing standardised imaging protocols across hospitals, developing hub-and-spoke referral systems for quicker specialist transfers, and regularly auditing treatment times to improve quality of care are also vital steps.
“Stroke care relies on a chain of decisions and actions that begins well before a patient reaches hospital,” said Siow. “From recognising symptoms at home to reaching the right centre for treatment, closing the gaps in that chain will determine how many lives can be saved across Malaysia.”-pr/BNN
