“30 MPs Unite for Psoriasis Awareness at Historic Parliament Exhibition”A powerful show of cross-party support for better psoriatic care in Malaysia.

About 30 parliamentarians from across the political divide pledged their personal support for improving psoriatic care in Malaysia during a special exhibition organised by the Psoriasis Association of Malaysia (PAM) in conjunction with World Psoriasis Day 2025. For the first time, PAM held its awareness exhibition in the Parliament Building, where MPs penned personalised messages of encouragement on a dedicated art canvas, symbolising solidarity with patients living with this often debilitating condition.

PAM President Sofia Lovi Ramasamy expressed her deep appreciation for the overwhelming support shown by lawmakers:

“We sincerely thank all Parliamentarians who took the time from their busy schedules to visit our exhibition booth. Your willingness to learn about psoriasis and the daily challenges faced by patients means a great deal to our community. We are also deeply grateful for the thoughtful and encouraging messages you shared on our art canvas. Your words uplift our patients and reinforce our collective commitment to improving their quality of life.”

The three-day exhibition, held from 18–20 November 2025, aimed to elevate awareness among MPs, parliamentary staff, and government officials about psoriasis and its serious related complications—including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and depression. Several parliamentarians shared that they had previously been unaware of psoriasis or had confused psoriasis with eczema due to similarities in symptoms. According to Dr Azura Mohd Affandi, Head of the Dermatology Subspecialty, Ministry of Health:

“Eczema and psoriasis are both chronic inflammatory skin conditions, but they differ in their cause, appearance, location, and the type of discomfort they cause. A key distinction is that psoriasis is an autoimmune disease where skin cells grow too fast, while eczema is generally linked to a weakened skin barrier and allergic reactions which cause more intense itching.”

This year’s World Psoriasis Day theme, “Psoriatic Disease and Comorbidities: Understanding the Domino Effect,” underscores the urgent need for early diagnosis, holistic care, and improved access to treatment for patients. Psoriasis is a lifelong, non-contagious autoimmune disease affecting the skin and joints. Despite its prevalence, the condition remains widely misunderstood, contributing to stigma, social isolation, and delays in seeking medical care—particularly within the public healthcare system.

Dr Azura further highlighted the scale of the issue:

“There are approximately 29,000 registered psoriatic patients in the Malaysian Psoriasis Registry, although estimates suggest the real number may be closer to 100,000 or 0.34% of the national population. Regardless of the exact figure, much more needs to be done to strengthen psoriatic care in Malaysia.”

Efforts to address rare and less-recognised conditions—including psoriasis—are receiving greater attention from the Ministry of Health. Deputy Minister of Health, Dato’ Lukanisman Awang Sauni, shared:

“The Ministry has recently engaged with the Malaysian Rare Disease Society to better understand the challenges faced by patients with conditions that often receive limited attention. I am aware that PAM has submitted proposals on cost-sharing models for expensive therapies such as biologics. While we welcome initiatives that improve patient care, we must also balance these needs within the constraints of our healthcare system.”

PAM Advisor Dr K. Thiruchelvam expressed satisfaction with the outcome of this inaugural exhibition:

“This event has demonstrated a strong message of solidarity from Parliamentarians to patients and their families, affirming that their struggles are recognised at the highest levels of leadership. PAM hopes to build on this momentum by engaging the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health to explore concrete proposals for improving patient care.”

The Psoriasis Association of Malaysia hopes that this historic engagement with Malaysia’s lawmakers will pave the way for stronger policy support, sustained awareness efforts, and improved access to treatment for all psoriatic patients nationwide.

Check out the photos below.