Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba

Summary

Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba is a Johor-born medical doctor and UMNO politician who served as Malaysia's Minister of Health (2020–2021) and Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation (2021–2022) under Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. He previously served two terms as MP for Tenggara and two terms as state assemblyman for Pasir Raja. In 2026, he is contesting the Pasir Raja state seat in the 16th Johor State Election as the BN candidate.

Biography

Datuk Seri Dr Adham bin Baba (born 6 October 1962) is a Malaysian medical doctor and UMNO politician from Johor. He obtained a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) from Universiti Malaya in 1987 and subsequently served as a medical officer at the Ministry of Health from 1988 to 1990, before entering the private sector [1]. He owns Klinik Adham Sdn Bhd, a private clinic chain with 18 branches [2]. His political career began in 1991 as a committee member of the UMNO Senai Division. He was first elected as Member of Parliament for Tenggara in the 11th General Election (2004), serving until 2008, during which time he held the post of Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Higher Education [1]. He subsequently served two terms as State Assemblyman for Pasir Raja from 2008 to 2018, before returning to Parliament as Tenggara MP after GE14 in 2018 [2]. He was appointed Minister of Health in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on 9 March 2020, a position he held until August 2021, when he was moved to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, serving there until 2022 [2]. He was not fielded in GE15 (2022) [3]. In 2026, he returned to electoral politics as the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for the Johor state seat of Pasir Raja in the 16th Johor State Election, facing a three-cornered contest [1]. He is currently the Tenggara UMNO Division Chief [4].

Known for

Dr Adham is primarily known for serving as Malaysia's Minister of Health during the critical early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020–2021, overseeing the implementation of movement control orders and national PPE procurement. He subsequently served as Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation (2021–2022). He is also notable for his long association with the Pasir Raja and Tenggara constituencies in eastern Johor.

Political positions

During his tenure as Health Minister, Dr Adham supported the implementation of movement control orders (MCOs) and the Conditional MCO (CMCO) as tools to curb COVID-19 transmission. He worked with the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs to implement price controls on medicines under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011, and announced price ceilings on COVID-19 RT-PCR and antigen rapid test kits [5]. He was an advocate of public-private partnerships in the healthcare system and highlighted medical tourism as an area of growth, noting an RM35 million allocation for the sector in Budget 2021 [5]. As Science, Technology and Innovation Minister, he oversaw Malaysia's co-sponsorship of a WTO proposal to waive intellectual property rules on COVID-19 vaccines [5]. No publicly documented policy positions on non-health issues are available from the allowlist sources for the post-2022 period.

Education

1. 1987Graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) from Universiti Malaya.⛓

Before politics

1. 1988–1990Served as a medical officer at the Ministry of Health.⛓
2. 1990Entered the private medical sector; founded Klinik Adham Sdn Bhd, which grew to 18 branches.⛓
3. 2000–2004Served as Special Education Officer at the Ministry of Youth and Sports.⛓

Political career

1. 1991First became involved in politics as an UMNO Committee Member for the Senai Division.⛓
2. 2004Elected as Member of Parliament for Tenggara in the 11th General Election (GE11).⛓
3. 2004–2008Appointed Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Higher Education.⛓
4. 2008Elected as State Assemblyman (ADUN) for Pasir Raja, Johor in GE12. Lost the Tenggara parliamentary seat.⛓
5. 2013Re-elected as ADUN for Pasir Raja in GE13, serving his second consecutive term.⛓
6. 2018Elected as Member of Parliament for Tenggara in GE14, returning to federal Parliament after a decade at state level.⛓
7. 9 March 2020Appointed Minister of Health in PM Muhyiddin Yassin's Cabinet, taking charge of Malaysia's COVID-19 response.⛓
8. August 2021Moved from the Ministry of Health to serve as Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation.⛓
9. 2022Not fielded as a GE15 candidate for Tenggara; his name was dropped from BN's candidate list despite appeals from the Tenggara BN division.⛓
10. June 2026Announced as BN candidate for DUN Pasir Raja in the 16th Johor State Election (PRN Johor), facing a three-cornered contest against PH and PN candidates.⛓

Election history

• 2026Pasir Raja (N35)Pending⛓
• 2018Tenggara (P157)Won⛓
• 2013Pasir Raja (N35)Won⛓
• 2008Tenggara (P157)Lost⛓
• 2008Pasir Raja (N35)Won⛓
• 2004Tenggara (P157)Won⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• GovernmentBN Johor chairman Onn Hafiz Ghazi nominated Dr Adham as the BN candidate for Pasir Raja in the 2026 Johor state election, citing his two prior terms as ADUN for the constituency and his track record in federal government.⛓
• OppositionFormer Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad (PH) publicly urged Dr Adham and his deputies to either take charge of the Health Ministry's decision-making or resign during the COVID-19 pandemic, and said Malaysia had lost political leadership in its pandemic response.⛓
• ExpertHealth Director-General Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah publicly stated that the Health Ministry's approach to patient treatment and management is always based on scientific evidence, in response to Dr Adham's March 2020 claim that warm water could prevent COVID-19.⛓
• AffectedAnti-corruption group C4 Center declined Dr Adham's demand for RM30 million in damages following its public statement linking his private clinic chain to a company reportedly under corruption investigation over an MOH laboratory contract, stating the matter was in the public interest.⛓
• VerifiedFactsDr Adham served as Minister of Health from 10 March 2020 to 16 August 2021, and as Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation from August 2021 to 2022. He was not fielded as a GE15 (2022) candidate. He is contesting Pasir Raja in the 2026 Johor state election on 11 July 2026.⛓

Business interests (publicly reported)

Dr Adham owns and operates Klinik Adham Sdn Bhd, a private clinic chain reported to have 18 branches (Source: en.wikipedia.org, bernama.com). In 2020, anti-corruption group C4 Center publicly linked his private clinic chain to Khazanah Jaya Sdn Bhd, a property development company reportedly under investigation over a laboratory construction contract with the Ministry of Health. Dr Adham issued a notice of demand for RM30 million in damages against C4, which C4 declined to accede to, stating its remarks were made in the public interest (Source: codeblue.galencentre.org). No court judgment on this matter has been confirmed by at least two allowlist sources; the profile does not record a finalised outcome.