Figure out this one - 39 oncologists (cancer specialist doctors) treating more than 40,000 new cases of cancer every year in Malaysia.

However, according to the country’s Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, Malaysia should ideally have eight oncologists per million population.

Speaking after opening the First Asia Pacific Conference on Healthy Policy and Planning, Liow said, “With about 26 million people, we need about 200 oncologists.”

In order to combat the deadly cancer, Malaysia government is now all set to finalize a Cancer Management Blueprint for the period of 2008 to 2015 in the coming days.

Commenting over the blueprint, Liow said, “With this blueprint, our vision is that by 2025, cancer will no longer be a public health problem in Malaysia.” He further pointed out that the blueprint would address and improve the key areas of cancer management: prevention, screening and early detection, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation, palliative care, traditional and complement.

The minister said that the government is trying its best to get more doctors trained in oncology. "We are also considering employing oncologists from other countries to work here”, added Liow.

Of the 39 oncologists in the country, 10 are serving in public hospitals. They attend to more than half the cancer patients in the country.

The first National Cancer Registry report which was released in 2002 stated that the men and women in Malaysia have the highest rate of nasopharyngeal, laryngeal and cervical cancers in the world.