The Insight Circle

At Insight Circle, we believe we need to think differently about healthcare. I have been waiting to have this conversation—a very pertinent conversation that is very much needed when it comes to health and healthcare. Recently, I spoke with Sam on the Gut Shot podcast about an idea that I believe deserves much wider attention. We are facing a deepening health crisis, with obesity, pre-diabetes and diabetes increasingly driving us towards cardiovascular disease and other chron

A man who fears ridicule will never go far: he remains on one side of his talents, and even if he has genius, he is doomed to mediocrity – Emile Cioran Yogarabindranath Swarna Nantha, Sean Thum Loyal to Yesterday's Definition of Excellence Universities have naturally—for a considerable period of time—occupied the enviable position of custodians of knowledge, innovation and creativity. Today, however, this position of prestige is at risk of being displaced b

By Yogarabindranath Swarna Nantha and Sentil Gopal Recommended Citation—Swarna Nantha Y, Gopal S. Screen–Diagnose–Manage–Monitor: a real-world, co-designed framework for clinical reasoning [premise] [Internet]. Insight Circle. 2026 Jul 25. Available from: https://www.theinsightcircle.org/post/screen-diagnose-manage-monitor-a-real-world-co-designed-framework-for-clinical-reasoning Background Primary care clinicians work in complex environments that are influenced by time pres

By Dinyadarshini Johnson, Yogarabindranath Swarna Nantha, Hoomashini Gunasegaran and Mohd Aidid Rizal "The greater the potential for professionalized intervention, the greater becomes the political need for its limitation." — Ivan Illich A Preventable Tragedy Waiting in the corridor just outside the revolving doors of the emergency room, a family member ponders a crisis-level question: will my mother live to see another day? Such thoughts overwhelm the mind in the face of un

By Yogarabindranath Swarna Nantha, Sean Thum, Dinyadarshini Johnson, 1st May 2026 “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” — Alvin Toffler Two Different Scenarios, One Converging Outcome Imagine this. Real eye witness accounts from two patients, walking into a clinic, only desiring guidance and a therapeutic relationship. What unfurled, can be summarized as follows 1. A

By Sean Thum, Nadirah Babji, Dinesh Sangarran Ramachandram, Dinyadarshini Johnson, Yogarabindranath Swarna Nantha, 17th March 2026 “Every system is a lie refined by logic” – Emile Cioran RESET of the current system The current administration’s RESET initiative seeks a more incremental approach. A key proposal is the introduction of a standardised basic medical and health insurance/takaful (MHIT) product ( the Base MHIT Plan ) targeted for implementation in 2027. By creating

By Sean Thum, Yogarabindranath Swarna Nantha, Dinyadarshini Johnson (The Insight Circle), 26th March 2026 "A cage went in search of a bird” – Franz Kafka Build to Last The crisis confronting Malaysia’s healthcare workforce did not arise from a single policy failure but from the cumulative effects of structural decisions cutting across spanning decades. Addressing the current shortage, therefore, requires more than temporary administrative measures or incremental adjustments.

By Dinyadarshini Johnson, Sean Thum, Yogarabindranath Swarna Nantha (The Insight Circle), 19th March 2026 “Wrong does not cease to be wrong because the majority share in it.” – Leo Tolstoy Lost in translation We were told reform was impossible — too complex, too costly, too politically dangerous. Yet history shows that what is most resisted often becomes inevitable. On February 14th 2026 — just when the health workforce shortage had formally reached a beginning of meltdown

By Sean Thum, Nadirah Babji, Dinesh Sangarran Ramachandram, Dinyadarshini Johnson, Yogarabindranath Swarna Nantha, 5th March 2026 “The most difficult thing is to find unity in multiplicity” – Arvo Pärt Fall from grace For decades, the healthcare system in Malaysia has been a beacon of pride, an exemplary and equitable model for other emerging economies to emulate. The birth of this favourable situation can be traced back to strategic prioritization of several key areas - ear

By Dinyadarshini Johnson and Yogarabindranath Swarna Nantha (The Insight Circle), 30th January 2026 “All the natural movements of the soul are controlled by laws analogous to those of physical gravity. Grace is the only exception.” - Simone Weil World In Balance Reality check – medical qualifications have now become “redundant”. When medical graduates can no longer contribute outside the “comfortable” or well-established clinical platform, their despair becomes visceral than

By The Insight Circle, 22nd of December 2025 “I am I and my circumstance; and if I do not save it, I do not save myself.” – Ortega y Gasset Walk Through the Desert Ignored and marginalized. Doctors leave in droves from the healthcare delivery system. This unprecedented exodus is no longer a distant whisper, but an undeniable reality. The drivers behind this crisis are nothing new nor unknown, often silently discussed – as if taboo – within the narrow corridors of the organiz

By The Insight Circle, 23rd November 2025 "A good man delights in receiving advice; all worst men are the most impatient of guidance" – Seneca On 25 September 2025, the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the World Health Organization, launched the National Blueprint for Behavioural Insights in Health with much fanfare. This landmark initiative signals a decisive shift away from conventional approaches to health management, embracing instead a preventive and behaviour

By The Insight Circle, 22nd October 2025 “To share is precious, pure and fair. Don't play with something you should cherish for life” – Marvin Gaye Blood is on our hands The small infractions, the quiet moments of neglect, the times we chose to look away — they only return to haunt us. Just two weeks ago, the attempted murder of a five-year-old in Ohio and the stabbing at a Bandar Utama school laid bare how the lives of children can be irreversibly changed in a single hear

By The Insight Circle, 10th October 2025 “Only he who keeps his eyes fixed on the horizon will find the right road.” — Dag Hammarskjöld...

By The Insight Circle (28th September 2025) "He who fights monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster" - Friederich Nietzsche The Pledge We Make, Unknowingly Doctors ought to be careful what they wish for. The Hippocratic Oath is not merely a collection of words recited at the outset of a career—it is a moral covenant that transcends the routines of daily practice. To swear by an ideal is to cross the Rubicon, a point of no return where one makes a

By The Insight Circle, 5th September 2025 "He who is not everyday conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life"- Ralph Waldo...