Melaka has set aside RM850,000 for free cancer screening this year, up from RM700,000 in both 2024 and 2025. The money comes from the MBio Sihat Programme, and each screening costs RM100, so the budget stretches to roughly 8,500 people.

If you live in Melaka and are 40 or older, or your parents are, the test costs you nothing. You do have to know when and where it is being offered, because there is no permanent counter you can walk into. The state has also said the quota for this year is nearly full.

What The Test Checks And What You Would Pay Elsewhere

The screening is a blood test run by Melaka Bioteknologi Corporation. The lab checks your blood for early signs of several cancers, including liver, colon, ovarian, and prostate cancer.

A standalone cancer marker blood panel at a private hospital or health screening centre runs between RM80 and RM350, depending on how many markers are included. Bundle it into a full health screening package and the total goes past RM1,000. Subang Jaya Medical Centre, for example, charges RM339 to add a tumour marker panel on top of a package that already costs RM1,790.

A blood screening like this only gives your doctor a first indication. If something shows up, you will be sent for more tests before anything is confirmed. A clear result does not rule cancer out either, so keep going for your regular check-ups.

Where The Screenings Are Held

Most sessions run at state outreach events, such as the Wakil Rakyat Untuk Rakyat programme, which travels through every state constituency in turn. Some private events offer it too, including the Oh My Health Carnival held at Oriental Melaka Straits Medical Centre, where the latest allocation was announced on 2 August.

Because the screenings travel with these events, you have to catch one while it is running. Watch for announcements in your area, or ask your local Wakil Rakyat’s service centre when the next session is coming. If you are arranging this for your parents, it helps to have their identity card and proof of Melaka address ready, since eligibility is tied to both age and residency.

The Screening Is Free, But The Follow-Up Is Not

The free screening covers the blood test only. If a marker comes back raised, you will be sent for an ultrasound, a scan, or a specialist consultation, and you pay for those yourself at whatever the hospital charges.

Your medical card may not help at that stage either. Most medical cards in Malaysia only pay out once you are admitted to hospital as an inpatient. Follow-up testing is almost always outpatient, which many policies exclude. Some insurers do add an annual health screening benefit or a wellness allowance, so read your policy schedule and check your outpatient limit before you need it.

The test itself stays free either way. The cost only comes in if a result needs checking further, and treatment started early is cheaper than treatment started late.

Free Screening Outside Melaka Through PeKa B40

If your parents are in the B40 group, they may already qualify for free screening anywhere in the country through PeKa B40. Recipients of Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah and their registered spouses aged 40 and above are automatically eligible, with no separate registration needed.

PeKa B40 provides a general health screening rather than a full cancer marker panel, though it does include a clinical breast examination for women and a prostate examination for men at risk. PeKa B40 also pays RM1,000 to recipients who complete cancer treatment, split into RM300 when treatment starts and RM700 when it ends.

A Melaka resident aged 40 and above in the B40 group can use both. The state screening looks for cancer markers in your blood, while PeKa B40 covers general health along with the physical examinations. Taking one does not disqualify you from the other, so if a state event comes to your area, you can still book a PeKa B40 screening at a participating clinic in the same year.

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