73% total deaths in Malaysia due to NCD: Hilmi

KUALA LUMPUR: It is estimated that 73% of the total deaths in Malaysia were due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and half of the number were caused by cardiovascular diseases.
Deputy Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya said based on data from the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS), it could be assumed that the prevalence of NCD risk factors continued to rise and was indeed a worrying trend for the country.
"We are moving ahead to do prevention programmes especially in the health sector, such as promoting more awareness campaigns on the prevention of NCDs including diabetes, hypertension and cancer.
"We have engaged with the public and have done a lot of health screenings. We encourage the 'rakyat' to get involved in our intervention programmes," he told Bernama after officiating the 12th Ministry of Health (MOH) – Academy of Medicine of Malaysia (AMM) Scientific Meeting 2017 here, today.
The meeting was held in conjunction with the 20th National Institutes of Health Scientific Seminar and the 5th International Clinical Conference in Emergency Medicine 2017.
Hilmi added that since 2014, around 40,000 volunteers were trained in their own "kampung" to check on patients with high cholesterol and glucose level, as well as high blood pressure.
"If they find these cases, they must refer their patients to the nearest clinics or hospitals. Staff from the health clinics go on the ground and train these volunteers to help people in need with early screenings," he said.
Meanwhile, Institute for Medical Research Director Datuk Dr Fadzilah Kamaludin said the conference, themed "Battling NCD – New Strategies", gathered more than 800 participants including experts, researchers and distinguished speakers.
"We are hoping for some sort of resolution and to learn from the invited speakers because the number of NCDs in Malaysia is escalating.
"NCD is a barrier to sustainable development progress. We want to have healthy people for the nation to grow, and hope the future would be much healthier as compared to what we are seeing now," she said.
The conference kicked off today and ends on Nov 1. — Bernama