Women, balance, and the science of sustainable care

 

IN today’s fast-paced world, women are often expected to excel simultaneously in their professional roles, family responsibilities, and social commitments.

These overlapping expectations can make “life balance” feel elusive. Yet balance is not about perfection or equal time distribution; it is about intentional living and sustainable choices.

For many career women, especially in healthcare, balance is less about slowing down and more about sustaining momentum without compromising well-being.

Women form a substantial proportion of the healthcare workforce and increasingly step into leadership and research roles, while still carrying significant responsibilities at home and within their communities. This dual commitment reflects strength, but it also requires systems that support sustainability.

Research shows that women frequently shoulder a disproportionate share of emotional and caregiving responsibilities even while maintaining full professional workloads.

Over time, this imbalance can contribute to stress, burnout, and reduced well-being. Life balance, therefore, is not merely a personal aspiration but a workforce sustainability and public health issue.

This understanding of sustainability also shapes how we care for patients. In cancer management today, survivorship is improving, but survival alone is no longer the only outcome that matters.

Many patients, particularly women, live longer after cancer treatment while navigating long-term risks such as heart failure, metabolic disease, and treatment-related complications. The same principle applies in both personal and clinical contexts: thriving requires balance.

Integrating heart and metabolic health into cancer care reflects a broader shift toward patient-centred, whole-person medicine. Treatments that save lives must also preserve long-term health, function, and quality of life.

When clinicians consider cardiovascular and metabolic risks alongside cancer treatment, we support not only survival but sustainable survivorship. This mirrors the balance many women strive for in their own lives, continuing to move forward while protecting long-term well-being.

Balance is also dynamic. What feels manageable at one stage of life may shift at another. Early career demands, caregiving roles, research responsibilities, and leadership growth all require different forms of energy and presence.

Recognising this fluidity allows women to practise flexibility and self-compassion rather than striving for unrealistic equilibrium.

Achieving balance does not mean dividing time equally between work and personal life. Instead, it requires clarity of priorities, conscious boundary-setting, and the willingness to adapt.

As Herminia Ibarra observes, “Careers are not linear journeys; they evolve as people evolve”. A balanced life creates space for growth, recalibration, and redefining success without guilt.

More importantly, success should not be measured by exhaustion. Cultures of constant availability and overperformance can disproportionately affect women striving to demonstrate competence in demanding environments.

In fact, Brené Brown reminds us that “Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love ourselves, even when we risk disappointing others”. Boundaries are not a lack of dedication; they are a strategy for longevity.

(Image: HRM Asia)

Workplace culture plays a critical role in enabling sustainable balance. Flexible structures, psychologically safe leadership, and recognition of caregiving realities allow women to remain engaged and productive without compromising their well-being.

Organisations that support women’s balance benefit from stronger retention, healthier teams, and more resilient leadership pipelines.

As women continue to redefine leadership across healthcare, research, and beyond, it is equally important to normalise balance as a marker of strength rather than limitation.

In cancer care, we increasingly recognise that the goal is not only to help patients live longer, but to help them live well. The same is true for the women who care for them. True success, whether in medicine, research, or leadership, should not be defined by chronic exhaustion but by purpose, impact, and sustainability.

When women are supported to live and work intentionally, they remain engaged, resilient, and effective, strengthening not only their organisations but also the systems of care around them.

As we continue to champion women’s empowerment, let us also champion balance that honours individual journeys. Sustainable careers and sustainable health share a common foundation: intentional choices, supportive environments, and a commitment to long-term well-being.

A balanced woman is not one who manages everything perfectly, but one who lives intentionally and sustainably. 

 Dr Mastura Mohd Sopian is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Clinical Medicine, Pusat Kanser Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Universiti Sains Malaysia.

The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of  MMKtT.

- Focus Malaysia

Practical PhD: Rethinking what a doctorate should deliver

 

I RECENTLY read an article stating that China is awarding PhDs (Doctor of Philosophy) to inventors without compromising academic standards. If this is indeed true, what’s a PhD even for anymore?

For a long time, the answer felt pretty clear: write a massive thesis, get published in academic journals, stack up citations, and earn your seat at the global research table. That’s the model nearly every university—including ours in Malaysia—grew up with.

But the world has changed. Economies are shifting. Competition in tech is fiercer than ever. And that tidy old formula is starting to feel a little outdated.

China recently shook things up. They’ve opened a new route for some engineering PhD students: instead of a 100-page dissertation, they can graduate with a working product. A real prototype. Something you can touch, test, deploy. An advanced chip, a manufacturing breakthrough, an operational system.

Some people love it. Some hate it. But either way, it’s forcing a conversation we shouldn’t duck out of.

Here in Malaysia, higher education has come a long way in twenty years. More papers published. Better rankings. Stronger international ties. But quietly, something else has crept in: a culture obsessed with metrics.

Want a promotion? Count your papers. Need grant renewal? Show your journal output. Universities celebrate citation numbers like scoreboards. And sure, publishing is part of science. That’s not the problem. The problem is when volume becomes the goal, and when “impact” only means impact on other academics.

Meanwhile, Malaysia’s economy is standing at a crossroads. We want to lead in semiconductor design, climb the electronics value chain, push into green energy, build our own medical tech.

These aren’t theoretical ambitions—they need people who can turn knowledge into actual working systems.

But too many PhD graduates struggle to bridge that gap between theory and practice and so maybe it’s time to carve out another path.

What if Malaysia offered two PhD routes? One for traditional academic research. Another for innovation grounded in industry. Not a watered-down degree—the second option would still demand rigorous analysis.

But instead of a thesis that lives on a library shelf, the output could be a validated prototype, a patentable invention, a real-world solution deployed and tested.

This isn’t fantasy. We already have the ecosystems for it. Penang’s electronics cluster. Johor’s expanding data infrastructure. Medical device manufacturing hubs. Renewable energy projects taking shape. These are places where a practical PhD could thrive.

Of course, it has to be done right. A working prototype alone isn’t a doctorate. Candidates would still need to show originality, technical depth, and meaningful advancement over what already exists.

And evaluation panels should bring in independent industry experts alongside academics—no conflicts, no shortcuts. The payoff could be real.

Students would wrestle with actual industrial challenges. Companies would get access to serious problem-solvers. Universities would stop being isolated knowledge silos and become genuine innovation partners.

But let’s be clear: this isn’t about turning our backs on fundamental science. Breakthroughs don’t always come with a commercial label attached. A healthy ecosystem needs both the thinkers and the builders.

The real challenge is incentives.

If universities keep rewarding publication counts over patents, startups, or tech transfer, nothing changes. Reform has to reach into promotion criteria, grant evaluations, KPIs. It has to mean something in how careers are built.

So no, this isn’t about copying China. Our politics, our economy, our academic traditions are different. The question is simpler: does our doctoral education reflect where we want to go as a country?

A PhD should stand for the highest form of intellectual achievement. But in a developing nation chasing technological leaps, it should also stand for something else: the ability to solve hard, messy, real-world problems.

Malaysia doesn’t need fewer scholars. It needs more scholar-engineers. Scholar-innovators. Scholar-builders.

If we get this right, a practical PhD pathway could shift the centre of gravity—from producing papers that circulate inside academic databases to producing solutions that circulate inside society. 

 KT Maran is a Focus Malaysia viewer.

The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of  MMKtT.

- Focus Malaysia.

Cheras road rage incident: Light sentence sends the wrong message to road bullies, warns MCA Youth

 

MCA Youth Wilayah Persekutuan has expressed concern over the recent road rage incident in Cheras involving a 70-year-old man who was assaulted following a minor traffic accident.

The chapter’s chairman Mike Chong Yew Chuan was referring to the incident on Feb 8 where the assailant, 52-year-old trader Saiful Adli Yusof, was fined RM5,500 after he pleaded guilty to assaulting and threatening to kill Liew Khoon Foo, 70, following a minor road accident.

“A traffic disagreement, regardless of who is at fault, can never justify physical assault or threats to kill. When an elderly motorist is attacked in such a manner, it raises serious concerns about public safety and the level of restraint exercised by road users,” Chong stressed.

“Although we respect the independence of the judiciary and acknowledge that the court acts within the ambit of the law, MCA Youth WP believes that sentences in such cases must reflect not only legal considerations but also the broader need for deterrence.

“A penalty perceived as too lenient risks sending the wrong message whereby road rages can be resolved with a paltry fine, and that violence carries limited consequences.”

According to Chong, such a perception is dangerous and may embolden aggressive individuals and undermine public confidence in the justice system.

He said the law must serve as a clear warning that acts of intimidation, assault and threats on public roads will be met with firm consequences including imprisonment.

“It must be drummed into road bullies that such violent behaviour is unacceptable in a civilised society,” Chong continued.

“Our youth wing also notes the emotional trauma suffered by the victim and his family. Beyond physical injuries, such incidents leave lasting psychological scars, particularly on senior citizens who should feel safe in their own community.

“We therefore call for a broader review of enforcement and sentencing approaches in cases involving road rage and public violence. Sentencing should also take into account victim impact trauma.”

Chong further noted that stronger deterrent measures, public awareness campaigns on responsible driving, and firm action against repeat offenders are necessary to curb this growing trend.

“Malaysia’s roads must be spaces of shared responsibility, patience and mutual respect. They must never descend or become convenient arenas for intimidation and violence.

“Justice must not only be done, but must also be seen to send a clear and unequivocal message: violence on our roads will never be tolerated.”

According to the facts of the case, the victim was driving a Proton Wira when he was involved in a collision with the accused’s Toyota Vellfire at 3.45pm along Jalan Cheras-Hulu Langat.

Fearing for his safety, the retiree continued driving toward Taman Suntex but was pursued by the MPV.

When the victim was forced to stop at a traffic light, the accused kicked the victim’s car, prompting him to step out.

Saiful Adli then repeatedly struck the elderly man, leaving him with a bruised eye, a swollen chin, and a bleeding tongue.

Earlier today (Feb 12), Liew’s family said they are considering legal action against the assailant, whom they lamented was let off with a slap on the wrist.

NST reported Liew’s daughter, Cindy as saying that the family was upset that Saiful was let off easily and that they were looking at legal help to take the case to the next level.

Cindy said her father underwent a full examination at Kuala Lumpur Hospital, where doctors found no internal injuries.

He was prescribed painkillers and had refused further treatment. ‒ Focus Malaysia

Clarify first if CNY hampers contain wine before pick-up, Lalamove delivery Muslim drivers told

 

HEAR no evil, see no evil, speak no evil … Deliver no evil?

As the festive season is upon us, many are taking the opportunity to earn some extra income. From roadside tents selling fireworks, yoke kon/bak kwa (pork jerky) and mandarin oranges to the many traders doing a roaring trade packing Chinese New Year hampers.

Thousands of delivery drivers and e-hail riders who are busy ferrying these festive goodies should be enjoying a boost to their income with the bumper deliveries.

But not quite according to pious Muhamad Afif who cautioned fellow Lalamove drivers against accepting delivery of hampers containing sinful alcoholic beverages.

Posting on the Lalamove Riders Community Facebook page, he claimed to have turned down several delivery requests upon finding out that the packages contained the devil’s brew

Editor’s Note: Surprisingly, there was no mention of other non-halal items particularly the aforementioned yoke kon/bak kwa; specialty sausages/meat products; lard/gelatine-laden cookies/snacks or even food stuff containing alcohol-based flavourings or enzymes/emulsifiers derived from non-halal sources.

Explaining that it was haram, the poster requested the sender to change driver as well as to explicitly state that the hamper contained alcoholic beverages to ensure Muslim drivers are aware.

Counselling that it was not right to feed one’s family through what he perceives to be improper earnings; he urged all Muslim drivers to always check their delivery goods to ensure that their conscience is clear.

With good intent, he urged his Muslim brethren to beware of those “kicap bottles” as they could very well be containing something more lethal than soya sauce!

Having said his piece, he nevertheless leave the final decision to the individual driver whether to take heed while also invited Chinese patrons to share their perspective.

The post has generated 4.7K likes, 1.3K comments and 519 shares at the time of writing with many commenters praising the poster for putting up a timely reminder.

Some commenters wondered if it was haram to just deliver the package with no consumption taking place.

A few swiftly pointed out that any form of consumption, sale, distribution etc of the demon beverage is forbidden in Islam. “Alcohol is unlike pork given its degree of haram is much bigger,” contended one commenter.

Another though wanted to know what the difference is between delivering alcoholic beverages and holding a girlfriend’s hand, insinuating hypocrisy as many who are uncomfortable with the former are seemingly fine with the latter.

The pious brigade was quick to point out that both were haram and those who were uncomfortable delivering alcoholic beverages would most likely NOT engage in such behaviour.

One non-Muslim commenter also claimed that he received many hampers containing alcoholic festive goodies from Muslim delivery drivers with no complaints whatsoever.

But many argued that not all delivery drivers were conversant in religious matters, hence the poster’s timely reminder was useful.

Some went even further by using Muslim women who do not wear tudung as an analogy. They exist but that doesn’t mean it is not haram. Another even equated that with pre-marital s*x, arguing that many are aware it is forbidden but still do it anyway.

Few things to note about this post.

Firstly, Muslim drivers are definitely free to decline deliveries which they are uncomfortable with. It is entirely up to them to choose. What that does to their performance ratings is another matter entirely.

Secondly, non-Muslim vendors and customers must be more sensitive to Muslim drivers. Clearly state that the packages contain alcoholic beverages and let the driver make the decision whether to accept or decline.

Thirdly, if many drivers insist on not accepting such deliveries, will it force non-Muslims to abandon the tradition of gifting alcoholic beverages in hampers as there isn’t enough manpower to send the packages?

It is very much a case of religious sensitivities vs economic realities. It will be interesting to see where this leads to. – Focus Malaysia