CURBING SPREAD OF CHRONIC DISEASES
ACCORDING to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 41 million people die each year from non-communicable diseases (NCDs)1.
That means, out of the total amount of deaths that occur globally, about 71% are NCD-related.
When you take those odds into perspective, they immediately become shockingly glaring.
NCDs are defined as diseases that are not transmittable directly from one person to another, but cover a large range of ailments like cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, metabolic diseases such as diabetes, most cancers and mental illnesses.
“One thing that surprises many people is that seven out of 10 deaths in Malaysia today are the result of NCDs1,” observes Dr Amrit Ray.
Dr Amrit is the global president of R&D and medical at Pfizer Upjohn, a company dedicated to delivering life-changing therapies to patients afflicted by NCDs.
He notes that many of these deaths are preventable, as the diseases are treatable.
“Despite that, we still see a level of burden. Further, we also see that many of these diseases strike at an age that results in premature death,” he says.
Dr Amrit, who is also a physician researcher and business leader with a record for championing medical innovation and developing a number of breakthrough medicines, says that the 2015 National Health and Morbidity Study (NHMS) conducted by the Health Ministry found that a third of deaths caused by NCDs occur in patients in their 60s.
But more worryingly is the fact that NCDs are encroaching upon younger age groups.
“We are in a situation where if you look at those over 18 years old in Malaysia, it is estimated that about half have at least one risk factor for NCDs, which I think is very concerning,” he points out.
Risk factors though, vary with individual diseases.
For instance, risk factors for cardiovascular diseases include age, gender and heredity, which are considered non-modifiable risk factors.
There is, however, a different set of risk factors that can be controlled or modified.
This allows patients to change the risk levels of these factors, which include smoking, diet, exercise, activity level and more.
But this awareness will only be present if there is higher health literacy and better knowledge.
Similarly, respiratory diseases also have their fixed and modifiable risk factors, as do metabolic diseases like diabetes.
Dr Amrit comments that of all the many factors that contribute to NCDs, two stood out for Malaysia.
Firstly, while our country is popularly regarded as a food mecca, “diet contributes significantly to NCDs”, he cautions.
The second is a contributory factor, with Dr Amrit highlighting that although Unesco’s data positions Malaysia’s society as highly literate at nearly 94% in 20162, the figure for our health literacy was only about 7%3 among adults aged 18 years and above in 2015.
This low health literacy rate presents a tremendous challenge to individual Malaysian patients and families, and a public health crisis for society.
A larger picture starts to emerge as Dr Amrit explains that NCDs inadvertently burden the patient’s family with acute medical care that may result in long-term treatment, in turn affecting the patient’s ability to work.
In the end, the NCD affects the family’s economic wellbeing and sustenance.
“At the societal level, the concern is really significant, because the nett burden from facing NCDs can impede the ability to progress socially and economically, impeding the country’s competitiveness as an economy in the modern world,” he sums up.
He also commends Komuniti Sihat Pembina Negara (Kospen)4, the intervention programme initiated by the Health Ministry in 2015 to reduce the level of behavioural and biological NCD risk factors.
Upjohn is Pfizer’s new division tasked to relieve the burden of NCDs with trusted, quality medicines for every patient, everywhere.
“We have taken that mission to heart and we have over 12,000 colleagues around the world who are very dedicated to this mission and to making a positive impact on the patients,” explains Dr Amrit.
Pfizer Upjohn has since embarked on a number of global efforts to curtail and prevent NCDs.
In Malaysia, the iMANAGE initiative has been developed as a resource and educational platform, where healthcare professionals are provided the tools for early detection and effective treatment of NCDs.
“A short form for Integrated Management of Non-Communicable Diseases for Non-Governmental Establishments, iMANAGE is unique as it brings together a number of scientific and professional societies in one place,” says Dr Amrit.
Currently, Pfizer Upjohn has a memorandum of understanding with seven scientific and professional associations for the iMANAGE programme, signed on July 31.
The partners are the Malaysian Association for the Study of Pain (MASP), Malaysian Medical Association (MMA), Academy of Family Physicians Malaysia (AFPM), Malaysian Society of Hypertension (MSH), Malaysian Psychiatric Association (MPA), National Heart Association Malaysia (NHAM) and Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society (MPS).
“We believe partnerships can make more impact on patients and we feel very committed to being at the forefront and at the leading edge of partnerships – iMANAGE is a very good example of that,” stresses Dr Amrit.
In addition, Pfizer Upjohn country medical lead for Malaysia, Dr Gayatri Gunasagaran explains that iMANAGE will be rolled out as a series of year-long workshops.
“This year, iMANAGE will involve large-scale workshops for general practitioners and pharmacists, while smaller group discussions between specialists, pharmacists and GPs are planned for the next year.
“Our aim for the iMANAGE programme is to provide vocational training and improve skill sets, and at the same time, build a digital and integrated network among private healthcare providers.”
Dr Gayatri further explains that the programme will then be evaluated on its impact.
She adds that Pfizer Upjohn is committed to improve public health literacy rates and they will do it through their continuous work with both the public and private hospitals.
As part of their commitment, they have also launched a patient awareness website called Your Heart Matters5 and run on-ground activities like Mega Heart among others.
iMANAGE also reaches out to the tech-savvy via a digital application that provides customised solutions to users. Using the app, users can gain more information on lifestyle, mental health, diet, and more.
“That would be a very good enabler to empower patients to take charge of their lives,” she adds.
References:
1) WHO Fact Sheet on NonCommunicable diseases, at https:// www.who.int/news-room/factsheets/detail/noncommunicable-diseases
2) Unesco Institute for Statistics, Malaysia, at http://uis.unesco.org/ en/country/my?theme=education-and-literacy
3) Institute for Public Health, National Health & Morbidity Survey 2015 - Non-communicable Diseases, Risk Factors & Other Health Problems Volume II, at http://iku. moh.gov.my/images/IKU/Document/REPORT/nhmsreport2015vol2.pdf, page 287.
4) Institute for Public Health, Technical Report - Evaluation of Effectiveness of Implementation of ‘Komuniti Sihat, Perkasa Negara’ (KOSPEN) Programme in Malaysia Phase 1 ,at http://iku.moh.gov.my/ images/IKU/Document/REPORT/ 2014/KOSPEN2014.pdf ,page48.
5) https://www.yourheartmatters. com.my/