Top 5 at 5: Fighting Medical Misinformation

A Malaysian doctor is facing trial over a video he posted containing misinformation about the mRNA COVID vaccine, raising questions about the legal and ethical implications for health communication. Nurulhuda Mansor, a partner at Shearn Delamore & Co, weighs in on the conversation.

Other stories we covered:

• Haphazard health facilities: Over 300 fire-hazard notices were issued to nearly 90 healthcare facilities in Malaysia last year, with clinics being the most non-compliant. Mustapha Kamal Zulkarnain, an architect from Arkitek Mustapha Kamal and Shannon Rajan, Partner & Head of the Occupational, Safety and Health Practice Group at law firm Skrine, unpack this issue.

• A costly scam epidemic: A scam epidemic is costing Malaysia RM50 billion and 74% of Malaysians are encountering scams monthly. AI-driven scams, including deepfakes, are also exacerbating the issue. We spoke to CF Fong, executive chairman of LGMS, on what we need to understand about online scams that use AI technology.

• Azilah Hadri escapes the gallows: A former police commando convicted of Altantuyaa's murder in 2006 has had his death sentence commuted to 40-years in prison with a possibility of release by 2034. Dr Haezreena Begum Abdul Hamid, criminologist and Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Law at Universiti Malaya weighs in on whether the court’s decision sets a precedent for Sirul Azhar Umar, who was also involved in the murder, but remains in Australia.

• Author Han Kang Snags Literature Prize: South Korean author Han Kang has won the Nobel Prize in Literature, becoming the first Asian woman to do so. We hear from Pauline Fan, the creative director of PUSAKA and Fong Min Hun, founder of Lit Books for their thoughts on this win.

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