PETALING JAYA - A 19-year-old woman is set to become Malaysia's youngest doctor upon her graduation next year, reported Sin Chew Daily Daily on Sunday (July 9).

Ms Chan Hao Shan is currently in the final year of her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree at Taylor's University.

Ms Chan's interest in medicine began when her mother, an accountant, was diagnosed with cancer when she was eight.

From a young age, she had also expressed interest in learning about the human body and how the various organs function.

"For instance, I was really interested in what happens to the throat when we swallow something," she told Sin Chew Daily.

She also cultivated a strong passion for reading.

As she appeared to be academically ahead of her peers, her parents transferred her to an international school, just three years after attending a primary school in Kuala Lumpur.

She reportedly completed her entire secondary school education in a single year.

"I've always loved challenging myself, so I thought - why not jump to a higher level in school? I would often feel bored in class and felt the pace of learning was too slow," Ms Chan explained.

She enrolled in the Australian Matriculation Programme - an internationally recognised pre-university programme - at the age of 14 and finished her studies in a year. She was the youngest student in her graduate batch.

Upon graduating with the MBBS, she said she plans to continue her studies as a specialist, but has yet to decide on a specialisation.