Mohammad Isham bin Jaafar is a Bruneian physician, currently serving as the current Minister of Health since 2017.

Education

Isham graduated from

University of Dundee The University of Dundee is a public research university based in Dundee, Scotland. It was founded as a university college in 1881 with a donation from the prominent Baxter family of textile manufacturers. The institution was, for most of its ...

with a

Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education trad ...

degree in 1995 and later completed his

specialist A specialist is someone who is an expert in, or devoted to, some specific branch of study or research. Specialist may also refer to: Occupations * Specialist (rank), military rank ** Specialist (Singapore) * Specialist officer, military rank in ...

training in Cardiothoracic Surgery at the

Institut Jantung Negara Institut Jantung Negara Sdn Bhd (also known as National Heart Institute; abbreviation IJN), is a heart surgery centre in Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. IJN was founded in 1992 under Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's tenure. It is loc ...

(IJN),

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

. He then completed his

fellowship A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned or professional societies, the term refers ...

in Cardiothoracic Surgery at the

Royal Papworth Hospital Royal Papworth Hospital is a specialist heart and lung hospital, located on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus in Cambridgeshire, England. The Hospital is run by Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. The hospital is a world-leading cardio ...

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

. In 2014, he acquired fellowship recognition from the

Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) is a medical royal college in Scotland. It is one of three organisations that set the specialty training standards for physicians in the United Kingdom. It was established by royal charter i ...

American College of Cardiology The American College of Cardiology (ACC), based in Washington, D.C., is a nonprofit medical association established in 1949. It bestows credentials upon cardiovascular specialists who meet its qualifications. Education is a core component of the ...

and the ASEAN Cardiology Congress.

Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) is a professional organisation of surgeons. The RCSEd has five faculties, covering a broad spectrum of surgical, dental, and other medical and healthcare specialities. Its main campus is locate ...

and

European Society of Cardiology The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) is an independent Nonprofit organisation, non-profit, non-governmental professional association that works to advance the prevention, diagnosis and management of diseases of the heart and blood vessels, a ...

recognize Isham's fellowship in 2015.

Medical career

In 2005, he became the

Consultant A consultant (from "to deliberate") is a professional (also known as ''expert'', ''specialist'', see variations of meaning below) who provides advice or services in an area of specialization (generally to medium or large-size corporations). Cons ...

Cardiothoracic Surgeon at the Cardiac Centre Gleneagles JPMC. Since November 2009, Isham was promoted to the position of a

Chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

among

Jerudong Park Medical Centre Jerudong Park Medical Centre ( - JPMC), is a private hospital in Brunei-Muara District, Brunei Darussalam, which mainly provides specialised healthcare services. It is located in Jerudong, some from Bandar Seri Begawan. The hospital also ho ...

(JMPC)'s

board of directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

and the executive director of

Pantai Jerudong Specialist Centre Pantai Jerudong Specialist Centre ( - PJSC), is a private hospital located in Jerudong, Brunei-Muara District, in Brunei Darussalam. Location The hospital is located north of Jerudong Park, situated on the right of Jerudong Park Medical Centre. ...

(PJSC). Under his leadership, both JPMC and PJSC's

laboratory A laboratory (; ; colloquially lab) is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific or technological research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. Laboratories are found in a variety of settings such as schools ...

have been accredited respectively by the

Joint Commission International The Joint Commission is a United States-based nonprofit tax-exempt 501(c) organization that accredits more than 22,000 US health care organizations and programs. The international branch accredits medical services from around the world. A majori ...

(JCI) in 2014 and

International Standardization Organization The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ; ; ) is an independent, non-governmental, international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries. Mem ...

(ISO) in 2017. On December 1, 2017, Isham was appointed the Minister of Health by replacing Zulkarnain Hanafi after being consented by

Sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

Hassanal Bolkiah Hassanal Bolkiah Muiz'zaddin Wad'daulah (born 15 July 1946) is the List of sultans of Brunei, Sultan of Brunei since 1967, and Prime Minister of Brunei, prime minister of Brunei since its independence from the United Kingdom in 1984. He is one ...

. Isham retained his position in the

2018 Bruneian cabinet reshuffle Hassanal Bolkiah carried out the sixth reshuffle of his Council of Cabinet Ministers, government on 30 January 2018, replacing some of the nation's longest-serving ministers. The announcement was delivered during a televised speech at 2:30 pm. W ...

, which replaced six ministers. He was again retained following the 2022 cabinet reshuffle.

First LVAD

At a

press conference A press conference, also called news conference or press briefing, is a media event in which notable individuals or organizations invite journalism, journalists to hear them speak and ask questions. Press conferences are often held by politicia ...

held at Gleneagles JPMC (GJPMC) on 29 November 2014, Health Minister Adanan Yusof revealed that Brunei's first

left ventricular assist device A ventricular assist device (VAD) is an electromechanical device that provides support for cardiac pump function, which is used either to partially or to completely replace the function of a failing heart. VADs can be used in patients with acute ...

(LVAD) has just been installed in a patient with

heart condition Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is any disease involving the heart or blood vessels. CVDs constitute a class of diseases that includes: coronary artery diseases (e.g. angina, heart attack), heart failure, hypertensive heart disease, rheumatic he ...

. Mumtazali Mohd Abdul Aziz, 51, reportedly had a mechanical heart implant that allowed him to lead a somewhat normal life following surgery. On 11 November, a surgical team led by Isham installed an LVAD under the supervision of Jaap Lahpor of the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, a leading expert in the installation of mechanical cardiac devices.

COVID-19 pandemic

At a press conference held at the MOH on 13 April 2020, Isham expressed his concern in regards to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

as it was still unknown how it would evole. Seven additional patients tested positive after the finding of one repeating patient, bringing the total number to eight. Isham revealed that for individuals who fell into certain criteria that the second COVID-19 booster shot administration would begin on 15 June 2022 at a news conference held at the Al-'Afiah Hall, Ministry of Health (MoH). According to him, despite having had three prior

vaccine A vaccine is a biological Dosage form, preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious disease, infectious or cancer, malignant disease. The safety and effectiveness of vaccines has been widely studied and verifi ...

s, older people and those with weaker

immune system The immune system is a network of biological systems that protects an organism from diseases. It detects and responds to a wide variety of pathogens, from viruses to bacteria, as well as Tumor immunology, cancer cells, Parasitic worm, parasitic ...

s are more likely to experience more serious side effects with COVID-19.

MOH Intelligence Hub

At the EVYD Campus in Brunei's Jerudong, the MOH and Singapore-based EVYD Technology officially opened the MOH Intelligence Hub. The ministry wants to aggressively use technology to advance Brunei's healthcare ecosystem's global-leading digital optimization. Isham stated:

Views

Isham emphasized the significance of creating and maintaining efficient systems and capability for avoiding, identifying, and handling public health catastrophes. On 25 and 26 August 2022, he delivered a speech at the 12th

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC ) is an inter-governmental forum for 21 member economy , economies in the Pacific Rim that promotes free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Following the success of Association of Southeast Asia ...

(APEC) on Health and the Economy meeting in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

. In addition, he emphasized the necessity for continuous monitoring based on transparency and the use of

digital technology Digital technology may refer to: * Application of digital electronics * Any significant piece of knowledge from information technology Information technology (IT) is a set of related fields within information and communications technology (IC ...

to link information throughout the world, as well as for assessing, modernising, and reforming the

global health Global health is the health of populations in a worldwide context; it has been defined as "the area of study, research, and practice that places a priority on improving health and achieving equity in health for all people worldwide". Problems th ...

security system. According to Isham, the future health budget would increase as a result of the rising price of

prescription drug A prescription drug (also prescription medication, prescription medicine or prescription-only medication) is a pharmaceutical drug that is permitted to be dispensed only to those with a medical prescription. In contrast, over-the-counter drugs c ...

s and

medical care Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is deliver ...

, an increase in the number of patients, and the prevalence of

non-communicable disease A non-communicable disease (NCD) is a disease that is not transmission (medicine), transmissible directly from one person to another. NCDs include Parkinson's disease, autoimmune diseases, strokes, heart diseases, cancers, Diabetes mellitus, diab ...

s. Speaking before the

Legislative Council A legislative council is the legislature, or one of the legislative chambers, of a nation, colony, or subnational division such as a province or state. It was commonly used to label unicameral or upper house legislative bodies in the Brit ...

, he suggested a $418 million health budget for the

fiscal year A fiscal year (also known as a financial year, or sometimes budget year) is used in government accounting, which varies between countries, and for budget purposes. It is also used for financial reporting by businesses and other organizations. La ...

2023–24, an increase of 8.3% over the amount allotted the year before. Despite the government's best efforts, the minister noted, chronic health problems including

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

malignancies Malignancy () is the tendency of a medical condition to become progressively worse; the term is most familiar as a characterization of cancer. A ''malignant'' tumor contrasts with a non-cancerous ''benign'' tumor in that a malignancy is not ...

, and

heart disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is any disease involving the heart or blood vessels. CVDs constitute a class of diseases that includes: coronary artery diseases (e.g. angina pectoris, angina, myocardial infarction, heart attack), heart failure, ...

remain on the rise. Isham urged students majoring in medicine,

dentistry Dentistry, also known as dental medicine and oral medicine, is the branch of medicine focused on the Human tooth, teeth, gums, and Human mouth, mouth. It consists of the study, diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases, dis ...

, and similar health fields to pursue extracurricular activities while pursuing their medical degrees during a discussion meeting with the MoH's leadership on 21 July 2024. According to him, the necessity for other sectors like

information technology Information technology (IT) is a set of related fields within information and communications technology (ICT), that encompass computer systems, software, programming languages, data processing, data and information processing, and storage. Inf ...

and

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...

is growing as medical services expand. In addition, he urged students to become members of

non-governmental organizations A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

(NGOs), even if they have nothing to do with health.

Initiatives

At the 7th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Cardiac Society of Brunei Darussalam, Isham stated that overall, cardiovascular disease-related

premature Premature may refer to: * ''Premature'' (2014 film), an American comedy film * ''Premature'' (2019 film), an American romantic drama film * '' PREMature'', a 2015 British television drama miniseries See also * Premature aging, of an organism * ...

mortality rose from 20% in 2013 to 26% in 2018. According to him, it is crucial to consider fresh approaches to providing

healthcare Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...

in this new normal brought on by the epidemic. In addition, the minister stated that in light of the present pandemic of non-communicable illnesses, they must consider using the recent lessons in digital health to the treatment of non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease. Young people's heart disease, the significance of risk factor modification, and the application of digital technologies and machine learning in the management of heart disease were all given particular attention during the meeting. Isham paid a visit to the School of Public Health NUS on 8 February 2023 as part of follow-up conversations following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). He was joined by members of the Brunei High Commission as well as his wife, Norsurainah at Noraslinah binti Ramlee. Along with Teo Yik Ying and the other Vice Deans present, they offered their knowledge of public health issues and perspectives on population health efforts. At the third iteration of the Youth Town Hall Brunei, Young Professional Networks (YPN) and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS) recently sponsored a discussion with senior government officials. Youths had the chance to interact with two officials,

Badaruddin Othman Badaruddin bin Haji Othman (born 23 September 1942), known by his pen name Badaruddin H.O., is a Bruneian aristocrat, poet, and politician. He has served as the minister of religious affairs since 2015. Previously, he held several prominent ro ...

and Isham, at the forum with the theme Leading in Times of Uncertainty, which highlighted how times of crisis and uncertainty are frequently times of reckoning and a chance to reflect, learn important lessons, and uncover new opportunities. The goal of the discussion is to inspire young people to overcome the COVID-19 disruptions by being more resilient and prepared, especially given that the epidemic is still spreading around the world.

Personal life

Isham is married to Norsurainah at Noraslinah binti Haji Ramlee. During his free time, he enjoys

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

and racquet sports such as

badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racket (sports equipment), racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net (device), net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per s ...

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

, and

table tennis Table tennis (also known as ping-pong) is a racket sport derived from tennis but distinguished by its playing surface being atop a stationary table, rather than the Tennis court, court on which players stand. Either individually or in teams of ...

,etc. Additionally, he stated that he enjoys playing

FIFA The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...

on the

PlayStation is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...

Honours

Order of Setia Negara Brunei The Most Blessed Order of Setia Negara Brunei (), also translated as The Most Blessed Order of Loyalty to the State of Brunei, is an Order (decoration), order of Brunei, Brunei Darussalam. It was established on 29 November 1959 by Sultan Omar Al ...

First Class (PSNB; 15 July 2018) – ''Dato Seri Setia'' *

Order of Seri Paduka Mahkota Brunei The Most Honourable Order of Seri Paduka Mahkota Brunei (), also translated as The Most Honourable Order of the Crown of Brunei, is an Order (decoration), order of Brunei, Brunei Darussalam. It was established on 1 March 1954 by Sultan Omar Ali ...

Second Class (DPMB; 2011) – ''Dato Paduka''

References

External links

* {{Authority control Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Government ministers of Brunei Health ministers of Brunei Alumni of the University of Dundee