KUALA LUMPUR – When Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah retired from the civil service in April this year, having ended his tenure as director-general of the Health Ministry, he went on to take about six months off to spend time with his family and rest.
He has recently gotten back to active work as a medical doctor on the ground in the industry while trying to ensure he has time for a balanced life this time around.
During a recent meetup with The Vibes, he outlined the series of responsibilities that he has agreed to and why he wants to make sure that he has time to enjoy some quality time with his family.
“Retirement is such a blessing. Now there is almost no pressure and no stress,” he said. “My conscience is clear to do what is right and uphold the good and just for the people and country.
“I’m so happy to get back to the operation theatres, working with my team, and seeing my patients.”
Hisham is back to treating patients and performing surgeries at Putrajaya Hospital every Mondays and Tuesdays.
Since he lives close to the hospital, he visits some of the pre-operative patients on Sunday to make sure they are prepared and briefed for their procedures.
Every Wednesday, he runs a clinic and meets new patients in UCSI Hospital in Bandar Springhill near Port Dickson.
He has just been made chairman of the UCSI Healthcare Group and will be planning to help kick-start the journey of that hospital to the top tier of Malaysian healthcare.
In addition to this, Hisham is also currently the chair of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Standing Committee of Health Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response (SCHEPPR) in Geneva, and was also recently appointed to the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office’s Technical Advisory Group on Universal Health Coverage.
Internationally, he continues to represent the country as the board director of Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDI), high council member of Global Surgery Foundation based in Geneva, and Global Surgery Affairs at the International Society of Surgeons based in Zurich.
Making a difference for medical students
He was recently honoured to be invited to be chancellor of Cyberjaya University. He intends to use his role to further improve health access and equity in the region.
“I share pride in the vision and mission of the University of Cyberjaya. More importantly, I believe that this university has great potential in Malaysia and beyond, to strive to be the best healthcare education hub in the Western Pacific Region,” he said.
“The University of Cyberjaya’s core values of uplifting local and regional communities with equitable access to quality medical education would be one of the key elements in realising and delivering universal health coverage locally and globally.”
He also elaborated on his role within the WHO and how it would benefit the university.
“Synergistically, my role within the Technical Advisory Group on University Health Coverage in the WHO Western Pacific region is also important as I intend to align the medical education and training of the medical students at the university to hopefully make a big difference in the health system and of the Western Pacific member states.”
New responsibilities to care for Malaysians
Hisham’s area of expertise is in breast and endocrine cancers, with numerous papers and textbook chapters in endocrine surgery.
He was trained in breast and endocrine surgery under the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Fellowship training programme, and obtained his Master of Surgery and Medical Degrees from the National University of Malaysia (UKM).
He chairs multiple medical professional councils and national-level technical committees and is also a Councillor-at-Large (2017-2021) on the executive board of the International Society of Surgery (ISS) and chairs the Global Surgery Committee of ISS.
In March 2020, he was elected as chairman of the Asian Association of Endocrine Surgeons.
His exemplary leadership is also recognised internationally, with the government of Brazil awarding him the Grand Officer of the Brazil Order of Rio Branco.
Aside from being one of the highest awards given by Brazil, it recognises meritorious service and civic virtues, stimulating the practice of actions and deeds worthy of honourable mention.
He was a recipient of the 2020/1442 Maal Hijrah Figure award for his considerable contributions in upholding Islam at the national and global levels.
More than anything, it is great to see the nation’s best coming back to help prepare the way for the next generation of healthcare professionals in various of the roles that he will play from now on.
After being at the forefront of the Covid-19 pandemic and being a leader that the world noticed at the highest levels, he chose to stay here in Malaysia to ensure that our future professionals have the benefit of his experience, knowledge and network. – The Vibes, October 29, 2023
