By Ashley Sim
KUCHING, June 13: Non-communicable diseases (NCD), primarily cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes, are the leading causes of death in Malaysia, including Sarawak, accounting for approximately nine million deaths among men and women under the age of 60, says Sarawak Deputy Premier Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian.
He stated that NCD is the number one disease in Sarawak, with the most common being heart attacks caused by cardiovascular disease, and cancer coming in second.
Dr Sim made the remarks today at the launching ceremony of the “Komuniti Sihat, Pembina Negara (KOSPEN) Towards Wellness of Workers (WOW) Sarawak General Hospital 2022” health carnival, which was held at the Sarawak General Hospital (HUS).
“According to the 2014 Global Status Report on NCDs, NCDs accounted for 68 per cent of the world’s leading causes of death in 2012.
“Furthermore, low and middle-income countries such as Malaysia account for 80 per cent of NCDs deaths,” he said.
He also revealed as per the 2009-2014 Malaysian Burden of Disease and Injury Study and 2019 Health Facts, NCDs were the leading cause of death in Malaysia between 2009 and 2014, and cardiovascular disease was the leading cause of death in 2019.
“Studies also show that the prevalence of NCDs and risk factors among adult Malaysians is high, with one in every five Malaysians having diabetes and three in every ten Malaysians having hypertension, which is according to the 2019 National Health Morbidity Survey,” he disclosed.
Dr Sim noted that this situation is concerning and needs to be addressed not only because of the rising cost of disease treatment, but also because uncontrolled NCD can disrupt productivity.
“The cost of NCD treatment is often long-lasting and will burden the employer as well as the staff themselves, which in turn can burden the national economy and cause the development of the country that we have achieved to decline.
“However, these costs become lower if NCD is detected and treated earlier or continue to be prevented from occurring,” he pointed out.
Dr Sim, who is also the Minister of Public Health, Housing, and Local Government, stated that a healthy, productive, and sustainable workforce can make the Malaysian economy viable, giving foreign investors confidence to invest in Malaysia and help the country’s economic growth.
“The KOSPEN is a noncommunicable disease prevention programme in the community and has been widely implemented throughout the country.
“Beginning in 2016, the government has expanded the program and targeted employees and employers through the branding of the KOSPEN WOW,” he explained.
Moreover, he hoped that the KOSPEN WOW programme will raise awareness among civil servants about the importance of health care and a healthy lifestyle, which is in line with the government’s goals of achieving the “Agenda Nasional Malaysia Sihat”, which aims to cultivate healthy living and environmental sustainability in support of health well-being.
Meanwhile, Dr Sim said KOSPEN WOW is a good initiative because it encourages employers to consider workplace wellness.
“Workplace wellness also includes encouraging employees to exercise and eat healthy foods,” he added.
Furthermore, he noted that the government will continue to build more heart centres, but that if people are unhealthy, the centres will be full.
“Our goal is to construct facilities only if they are required, so prevention is better than cure.
“As society progresses, we want everyone to start practising prevention, whether at work or at home, so that we can all live healthy lives,” he said. — DayakDaily
