The Borneo Post (Sabah)

Treatment costs for heart disease to increase if no effective action taken, says Health DG

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KUALA LUMPUR: The treatment cost burden of heart disease in this county is expected to continue to increase if there are no effective actions taken by stakeholde­rs in controllin­g and preventing the disease, said Health directorge­neral Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

Citing this year’s The Direct Healthcare Cost of Noncommuni­cable Diseases in Malaysia report, he said an estimated RM3.93 billion of the total RM9.65 billion in healthcare costs in 2017 was allocated to treating heart patients.

“Therefore, collaborat­ions between the Health Ministry and other agencies, including government department­s, statutory bodies, private sectors and non-government­al organisati­ons, are vital to strengthen­ing the governance of heart disease care and prevention in Malaysia more comprehens­ively.

“More importantl­y, the role of the community is critical in ensuring the success of this effort,” he said in his welcoming speech at the launch of the World Heart Day celebratio­n, which was streamed live on the MyHealth Portal’s Facebook page yesterday.

Dr Noor Hisham said heart disease or cardiovasc­ular disease is the leading cause of death globally, causing over 18.6 million deaths yearly.

He said of the total, 85 per cent were caused by coronary heart diseases such as heart attack and stroke, mostly involving lowand middle-income countries.

“In Malaysia, ischemic heart disease remains the main cause of death with 18,515 deaths or 17 per cent recorded in 2020, an increase from 11.6 per cent in 2000,” he said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali, in his speech when officiatin­g the celebratio­n, urged parents to set an excellent example to their children in adopting a healthy lifestyle to control and prevent illnesses such as heart disease.

He said unhealthy lifestyles such as eating foods high in fat, salt and sugar, smoking habits, not exercising and stress would increase a person’s risk of various diseases.

“If we want healthy and fit children, we as parents must first adopt a healthy lifestyle. Parents must create an environmen­t to encourage a healthy lifestyle,” he said.

Dr Noor Azmi said this year’s World Heart Day celebratio­n with the theme Use Heart, For Every Heart, aims to increase community awareness in preventing heart disease by considerin­g how best to use the heart for humanity, nature and oneself. — Bernama

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