Heart illness still top killer

> Subramaniam urges people to not take disease lightly

PUTRAJAYA: The Health Ministry has called on Malaysians to not take heart diseases lightly as it consistently remains the number one killer in the country.

“In 2015, there were 151,651 outpatient admittance for ischemic heart disease in the ministry’s facilities (compared with 139,460 in 2013) and 67,444 patients discharged for ischemic heart disease in government hospitals (compared with 50,794 in 2013),” Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said yesterday.

Speaking in conjunction with World Heart Day tomorrow, Subramaniam said in an effort to provide quality heart treatment at an affordable rate, the ministry at present has 10 hospitals with 71 staff including cardiologists, surgeons, anaesthetists and trainees to attend to patients.

“There are seven heart treatment centres under the ministry, namely, Pulau Pinang Hospital, Sultanah Aminah Hospital in Johor Baru, Sarawak General Hospital in Kuching, Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in Kota Kinabalu, Serdang Hospital, Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital in Kota Baru and the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital in Kuantan, which provide cardiology services, cardio-thoracic surgery services, as well as cardio-thoracic anaesthesiology services.

“Cardiology services without surgery are also available at three hospitals, namely, Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital in Alor Star, Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital in Kuala Terengganu and Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital in Ipoh,” he said.

The ministry, he added has spent RM137 million on cardiovascular care in 10 government hospitals in 2016 and is expected to set up a new 262-bed heart healthcare centre at the Serdang Hospital, which will be ready within three years.

According to findings from the Statistics Department, heart disease has remained the principal cause of death among Malaysians over the past 10 years (2005-2014), contributing to 13.5% of deaths in 2014.