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Top 5 at 5: Why Are Foreigners Dodging Hospital Bills?
37 mins·17:00, 19 Mar 2026
Top 5 at 5: Why Are Foreigners Dodging Hospital Bills?
37 mins
·
17:00, 19 Mar 2026
·
Recommended
45 mins
37 mins
45 mins
Guest: Assoc Prof Dr Tharani Loganathan, Public Health Specialist, Universiti Malaya
MOH is probing claims that foreign patients at Hospital Kuala Lumpur dodge deposits using emergency Lampiran A forms. Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad clarified the form only allows life‑saving treatment, not fee waivers, amid concerns over RM102 million in unpaid bills since 2023. We get into it with Associate Professor Dr Tharani Loganathan, public health specialist from Universiti Malaya. (Starts at 22:41)
• Court rules minister acted with bias: The KL High Court has ruled that former human resources minister Steven Sim acted with bias when he intervened in a trade dispute between banks and employees over Hari Raya aid payments in 2024. We speak to employment lawyer Sunitha Ruthram and Sivaranjani Manickam, secretary general of Parti Sosialis Malaysia about this. (Starts at 15:22)
• AI professor to lecture parents: A young woman in China has created “Mr Zhao,” an AI professor persona with over 200,000 followers, designed to lecture parents against pseudoscience and outdated values. Though entirely fictional, Mr Zhao’s authoritative posts have influenced real behavior, persuading parents to quit smoking to inspiring others to build similar AI figures. We dive into cultural communication gaps and whether such tools amount to guidance or manipulation. (Starts at 11:06)
• Trump allies threatens media over Middle East coverage: Donald Trump and his allies have escalated attacks on US media over coverage of the Middle East conflict, with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth accusing CNN of lying and demanding “patriotic” headlines. FCC chair Brendan Carr warned outlets could lose their licenses, while Trump suggested treason charges for news organisations (a penalty that carries the death sentence under US law). We hear thoughts from political scientist Derick Becker. (Starts at 5:31)
• Raya greeting cards make a comeback: And it's all due to Norain Mohamad Hadi, who recently started her own collection of Raya cards. Speaking to Free Malaysia Today, she shares that she sends them to her friends and public personalities, including royalty. We explore the sentimental value of physical cards. (Starts at 0:23)
Image Credit: Shutterstock
Presenter: Lee Chwi Lynn, Susan Tam
Producer: Lim Sue Ann, Sneha Harikannan, Sudais Ferhard, Alia Zefri
healthcare unpaid billslabour dispute Hari Raya aidAI influencer Mr Zhao ChinaAI parenting adviceUS media freedomHari Raya greeting cardstraditional greeting cardshospital kuala lumpursteven simdonald trump
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