It supports public authorities in humanitarian efforts and assists the medical services of the armed forces, following the Fundamental Principles of the Movement and the 1949 Geneva Conventions.

[9] MRC was awarded the Nansen Medal by the UNHCR on 10 October 1977 for its role in "aiding thousands of refugees who arrived in their country in recent years as a result of the conflict in Indo-China".

[11] In June 2001, the UNHCR and MRC closed the last refugee camp in Kuala Lumpur, ending 21 years of cooperation in which more than a quarter-million people transited the country.

[15] The MRC Miri District became the first branch in the country to gain UN recognition for Voluntary Non-Remunerated Blood Donation (VNRBD) over 30 years ago.

[19] In February 2023, the Health Minister said in a parliamentary reply that between 28% and 42% of MOH ambulances achieved the 15-min KPI arrival for critical emergency cases from 2016 to 2022.

[21][22] MRC jointly organized a first aid course for the visually impaired with the Saudi Red Crescent and the Malaysian Association for the Blind.

[23] From February 2023, MRC and Maaedicare Charitable Foundation have teamed up to deliver free, affordable healthcare in Malaysia via Klinik Amal Percuma.

[27] After the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami caused damage to the coastal areas of Perlis, Penang and Kedah, the MRC appealed for donations and volunteers responded to the disaster.

[30] The Malaysian Red Crescent Society appealed for donations and launched a relief effort in response to the 2015 Nepal Earthquake.

[32] MRC deployed a total of four personnel to Palu to support the emergency response carried out with Indonesian Red Cross.

[35] MRC supported ICRC in providing Restoring Family Links service in five immigration detention depots, i.e. Bukit Jalil, Semenyih, Lenggeng, Langkap and Belantek.

The programme aims to provide a platform for individuals and corporate entities to contribute towards the procurement of essential items required by frontliners, as well as drive MRC's community engagement efforts.

[37] MRC implemented three rounds of perception survey funded by the World Health Organization (WHO) and supported by the International Federation of Red Cross/Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to gather the attitude, concerns, and information needs of the people about the COVID-19 pandemic.

The review findings are summarised below:[39] The MRC effectively complemented the government's efforts, reaching target populations such as B40 households, undocumented migrants, foreign workers, and homeless individuals.

The MRC was also advised to improve its needs assessment and community engagement practices, including establishing beneficiary feedback mechanisms.

The review found that the MRC was considered a trustworthy and responsible humanitarian organization by stakeholders, including government agencies, collaborating partners, donors, and the general public.

The review also highlighted that the MRC lacked the capacity to plan and implement integrated and multisectoral programs effectively due to a culture of working in silos.

There were varying understandings and expectations regarding operational transparency and accountability, with no formal communication mechanism to ensure timely feedback and information sharing involving donors and government entities.

MRC held a photo exhibition at Rumah Tangsi in Kuala Lumpur in March 2022 to showcase its vaccination initiatives for the underserved community during the pandemic.

[42] Membership of MRC is open to all individuals without any discrimination based on nationality, race, class, gender, creed, language, age, disability, ethnicity, social background, political considerations or any other similar grounds.

Anyone can become a volunteer, regardless of nationality, race, class, gender, religion, language, age, disability, ethnicity, social background, or political beliefs.

[6] The National Council is the supreme deliberative body with power to regulate and control all affairs MRC in accordance with relevant Acts.

[6] The Governing Board includes:[6] Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan The Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus (suspended) Belgium Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Chile [es] China Colombia Comoros Congo [it] Congo, Democratic Republic of the Cook Islands Costa Rica [es] Côte d'Ivoire Croatia Cuba [es] Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador [es] Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Fiji Finland France Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, North Korea, South Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Macedonia Norway Pakistan Palau Palestine Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru (suspended) Philippines Poland Portugal [pt] Qatar Republika Srpska Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino São Tomé and Príncipe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan (Republic of China) Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Viet Nam Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Abkhazia (no-member) Cyprus, North (non-member) Hong Kong (autonomous branch of the RCSC) Kosovo (non-member) Macau (autonomous branch of the RCSC) Oman (non-member) Ossetia, South (non-member) SADR (pending recognition and admission) Somaliland (non-member) Taiwan (former member) Transnistria (non-member) Vatican City (autonomous branch of the Italian Red Cross)