Struggle, Survival, and Sustainability: Ngeow Sze Chan and the Evolution of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Post-War Malaysia

Abstract

The profound political and socio-economic transformations that swept through Malaya following World War Two fundamentally reshaped the nation's social and medical landscapes. In this rapidly modernisation, post-colonial environment, Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) faced critical obstacles in legitimising its practise, securing its educational future, and achieving structural integration. This study examines this crucial period in the development of TCM in Post-War Malaysia through th elens of a key practitioner and institutional builder, Ngeow Sze Chan (1915-2002). Utilising a historical case-study approach, and drawing upon biographical sources, archival documents, news clippings and association publications, this study traces Ngeow's pivotal role in steering the field from initial struggle and survival toward long-term sustainability. The findings argue that the enduring sustainability of TCM in contemporary Malaysia is not merely a consequence of cultural preservation, but the direct result of strategic institutional evolution championed by figures like Ngeow. He was instrumental in transforming TCM from a localised, community-based practice into a formalised, regulated profession.