PAM: Year in Review 2025 and Our Hopes for 2026 ~ Reflecting with Gratitude, Moving Forward with Hope

kenderick lee
2 hours ago
3 min read

Dear PAM Members,

Warm greetings and I hope this message finds you all in good health.

As we reflect on 2025, the Psoriasis Association of Malaysia (PAM) can take quiet pride in a year marked by growth, resilience, and meaningful impact. Throughout the year, our activities reflected a strong and unwavering commitment to organisational strengthening, patient support, public awareness, and national as well as international engagement. Key milestones included the successful convening of our 31st Annual General Meeting, the election of Ms Sofia Lovi as President, regular EXCO meetings, a strategic brainstorming session, and the much-welcomed conferment of PAM’s tax-exempt status—an important step forward in strengthening our sustainability and credibility.

Public outreach and patient engagement remained central to our work. PAM organised a diverse range of activities, from art and wellness programmes to webinars focusing on mental and emotional well-being, a community morning walk, and our first-ever outreach initiative in Kelantan. A particularly significant highlight was PAM’s trailblazing inaugural exhibition in Parliament, where 32 Members of Parliament across political divides pledged their support to improving psoriatic care in Malaysia. Patient voices were further amplified through a dedicated patient-led engagement session, reinforcing our belief that lived experience must remain at the heart of advocacy.

In parallel, PAM strengthened collaborations with industry partners and maintained a strong presence on regional and global platforms, including PsorAsia, MIASA, IFPA, GlobalSkin, NCD Malaysia, and other international health forums. We were deeply honoured when our President was elected to the IFPA Board, an international recognition of PAM’s growing role and credibility. Advocacy efforts continued with purpose, including the submission of a budget proposal to the Ministry of Health for a pilot Patient Medication Assistance Programme and sustained representation to include psoriasis under EPF’s critical illness withdrawal scheme. The year culminated meaningfully with World Psoriasis Day 2025, which brought together approximately 120 participants for a full day of exhibitions, interactive activities, and patient-centred sessions.

PAM’s finances remained healthy during the year, with income exceeding expenditure. Conscious efforts were made to secure sponsor funding for major activities, ensuring that our limited financial resources were preserved while enabling us to continue delivering meaningful programmes for the community.

Looking ahead, a brainstorming session held in early December 2025 allowed us to reflect, re-imagine, and plan for the year to come. In 2026, PAM aims to further strengthen its work in awareness, education, and patient empowerment. We plan to expand school outreach programmes, continue regular webinars, and organise more regional engagement activities so that accurate and compassionate information about psoriasis reaches wider segments of society. A key initiative will be the development of a patient-centred booklet on living with psoriasis, designed especially to support newly diagnosed individuals and their families as they begin their journey.

Patient support will remain at the heart of our mission. In the coming year, we hope to enhance patient-led support groups to help individuals better navigate treatment pathways and healthcare systems. Recognising the profound psychosocial impact of psoriatic disease, mental health support will receive greater emphasis. We also plan to introduce psoriatic patient bonding and awareness camping activities—creating safe, supportive spaces for patients to connect, share experiences, and draw strength from one another.

At the advocacy and organisational levels, PAM will intensify engagement with key stakeholders. This includes preparing budget proposals for the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Finance, developing policy papers for Parliamentary Select Committees, and continuing constructive dialogue with the insurance industry and the Employees Provident Fund to improve access and financial protection for patients. Alongside these efforts, we will strengthen partnerships and fundraising initiatives by engaging potential sponsors early and applying for relevant grants. Internally, our focus will be on organisational strengthening through improved website management, EXCO training, and early planning for World Psoriasis Day 2026, ensuring that PAM remains effective, sustainable, and impactful.

We wish to record our sincere gratitude to all PAM members, our medical advisor, partners, and sponsors for making our achievements in 2025 possible. As we welcome the New Year, let us move forward with renewed hope, determination, and a shared sense of purpose.

Despite limited resources and the dedication of an EXCO comprising ten volunteers, PAM has achieved meaningful progress in recent years. In summary, our efforts have focused on advancing Care, Community, Capability, Championing, Collaboration, and Credibility—our 6Cs—for people living with psoriasis. With sustained partnership and support, we are confident of achieving even greater impact and making a deeper difference in the lives of those affected by psoriasis.

Thank you for being part of our community and our journey. Together, through understanding, advocacy, and compassion, we can continue to build a better future for the psoriatic community.

Warm regards and wishing all of you a merry Christmas and a blessed New Year,