[ad_1]
PETALING JAYA: Without undergoing a screening test, it is estimated that one in two Malaysians do not know they are diabetic.
Citing the results of last year’s National Health and Morbidity Survey, Health Director General Tan Sri, Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah, said that around 18% of Malaysians over the age of 18 had diabetes; noting that this is an increase of 11.2% in 2011 and 13.4% in 2015.
In a statement to mark World Diabetes Day yesterday, he noted that this year’s theme is “Diabetes: Nurses Make a Difference.”
“There is no denying that the role of nurses and other front-line health professionals is crucial in managing patients with diabetes, especially with the growing number of patients each year.”
He said that the public should adhere to the treatment and advice of health professionals, in addition to adopting a healthy lifestyle since diabetes is preventable.
“Prevent and control diabetes through healthy lifestyle practices. Practice a balanced diet, an active lifestyle, don’t smoke, cultivate a healthy mind and avoid excessive alcohol consumption, ”he said.
Dr. Noor Hisham also advised people to “own health” by taking regular health exams by knowing their BMI, blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol level.
“If you have diabetes, self-monitoring of blood sugar levels is recommended and can be done at home with a glucometer,” he added.
He also said that the Ministry of Health had been working with the community to promote healthy lifestyles and early detection of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) by strengthening the Komuniti Sihat Pembina Negara program.
This intervention program would be carried out more effectively and widely to empower the community to adopt a healthier lifestyle, he added.
He noted that in 2017, the total burden of noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer in the national economy was estimated to be about $ 100 billion.
Diabetes represents RM10bil of that amount.
In terms of the cost of lost productivity, a total of RM5.7 billion was reported for diabetes, compared to cardiovascular disease (RM2.9 billion) and cancer (RM357 thousand).
[ad_2]
