The Malaysian Medical Association National Convention and 66th Annual Scientific Congress is held from 10 to 12 September 2026 in Ipoh, Perak. It is the MMA's flagship annual gathering, combining the association's national convention and annual general meeting with a full scientific congress, and it draws doctors from every branch of practice across Malaysia — public service, private practice, academia and training grades.
The scientific programme is deliberately general rather than subspecialty-focused, which is what gives the meeting its character. Sessions typically span updates in internal medicine and primary care, chronic disease management, emerging infectious disease, mental health and physician wellbeing, medico-legal risk and professional indemnity, medical ethics, health financing and policy reform, digital health and electronic records in practice, and the practical business of running a clinic. Plenary lectures from senior figures in Malaysian medicine sit alongside symposia, workshops and free paper sessions, and the exhibition brings together pharmaceutical companies, medical device suppliers, indemnity providers and practice-management vendors.
Beyond the science, the convention is the principal forum in which the Malaysian medical profession debates its own future. Sessions on workforce planning, contract and permanent post issues for junior doctors, remuneration, workplace safety and the doctor-patient relationship regularly feature, and the annual general meeting sets association policy for the year ahead. That mix of clinical content and professional advocacy makes it as relevant to leaders and administrators as it is to practising clinicians.
Ipoh, the state capital of Perak, is well connected by road and rail from Kuala Lumpur and offers a lower-cost host city with strong hospitality and a well-known food culture, making the congress accessible to trainees and doctors travelling on their own budgets.
For clinicians from the Gulf and elsewhere in Asia, the MMA congress offers a clear window into how a middle-income Asian health system is handling universal coverage, workforce retention and the public-private balance. Registration, the scientific programme, abstract submission and accommodation details are published on the official convention website.
