Associate Professor Dr Samuel Tsan, from the Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, was invited to deliver a plenary lecture at the Jakarta Perioperative Meeting (JPM) 2026, affirming his leadership in anaesthesiology and patient safety in the ASEAN region.
Recognition at an international forum
JPM 2026, held at The Ritz-Carlton Mega Kuningan Jakarta in conjunction with the 1st ASEAN Society of Intravenous Anesthesia (ASIVA) Meeting, featured leading experts from across Asia to advance safer, precise, and sustainable anaesthesia practice. In this prestigious setting, Dr Tsan served as the plenary speaker in the session titled “Second Victim Support Program: Experience from the Malaysian Society of Anaesthesiologists,” highlighting Malaysian innovation in clinician support and safety culture.
Focus on second victim experience
In his lecture, Dr Tsan addressed the “second victim” (SV) experience, where healthcare professionals suffer emotional, psychological, and professional consequences after adverse or near‑miss events. He emphasised that supporting clinicians after such events is integral to patient safety, as unresolved distress contributes to burnout, reduced performance, and workforce loss.
The A‑SHIELD initiative in Malaysia
The plenary showcased the A‑SHIELD journey in Malaysia, with an emphasis on a structured SV support programme developed by the Malaysian Society of Anaesthesiologists and the College of Anaesthesiologists. The national A‑SHIELD taskforce, chaired by Dr Tsan, was established to promote efforts to educate clinicians about the SV phenomenon and to guide local institutions across Malaysia in preventing and managing it. This can be achieved by providing confidential peer support, training, and clear referral pathways, thereby strengthening a culture of openness, learning, and resilience across Malaysian anaesthesia services.
Advancing UNIMAS and Malaysian anaesthesia
Dr Tsan’s selection as plenary lecturer at the JPM 2026/1st ASIVA Meeting reflects UNIMAS’s growing role in regional academic anaesthesia and underscores Malaysia’s commitment to comprehensive patient safety that includes care for clinicians. His contribution is expected to inspire similar support frameworks across ASEAN, positioning Malaysian anaesthesiology as a key driver of humane and high‑reliability perioperative care.
