Kuala lumpur: The Ministry of Health (MOH) has committed over RM137 million this year to bolster the early prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in response to a surge in diabetes and heart disease complications, which are straining the national healthcare system. During a session at the Dewan Rakyat, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad emphasized the importance of this allocation, which supports various initiatives such as health screenings, treatment programs, and healthy nutrition advocacy.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the allocation includes RM10 million dedicated to the National Health Screening Initiative (NHSI), aimed at expanding early screening for NCD risk factors among Malaysians aged 18 and above. Additionally, RM80 million is set aside for the PeKa B40 program, which offers free health screenings for low-income groups, and RM1.7 million is allocated for the War on Sugar initiative, a campaign promoting healthy nutrition to reduce excessive sugar intake.
Minister Dzulkefly responded to inquiries from Chong Zhemin (PH-Kampar) regarding the readiness of government hospitals to manage the rising incidence of NCDs, such as diabetes and heart disease, as well as the specific budget for early prevention. He reported that RM45.4 million has been allocated to enhance access to SGLT2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) for diabetes treatment, which also aims to lower the risk of complications like chronic kidney disease and heart failure, thereby reducing hospital admissions and long-term treatment costs.
The economic impact of NCDs, including cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, and chronic lung diseases in Malaysia, is substantial, estimated at RM64.2 billion. This includes RM12.4 billion in direct healthcare treatment costs and RM51.8 billion in indirect costs such as productivity losses and premature deaths.
In response to a supplementary question from Dr Halimah Ali (PN-Kapar) about the latest NCD statistics, Dzulkefly revealed that 1.8 million individuals had been screened under the NHSI by last year, with findings indicating that 17.9 percent had high blood pressure and nine percent exhibited elevated blood sugar levels.