The current National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) reported increasing prevalence of diabetes, affecting nearly one in five adult Malaysians.
Health Ministry director-general Tan Sri Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah, in a recorded video keynote address to a media forum in conjunction with World Diabetes Day 2021, reiterated the importance of a holistic approach in both prevention and disease management to combat the disease.
“The government is well aware of the increased prevalence of diabetes. In the 12th Malaysia Plan we have developed strategies to intensify efforts to combat non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer by increasing awareness programmes and screening efforts as well as macro-level initiatives and policies,” he said.
Dr Noor Hisham added, “We hope that policies such as the extension of the sugar tax announced in the 2022 Budget can help Malaysians better manage our current high consumption of sugary beverages.”
The forum, themed “Access to Diabetes Care in A Century of Insulin Discovery”, discussed the local diabetes care landscape and policy, reflecting on the past achievements and present progresses in the prevention and management of diabetes.
A panel under the moderation of Meera Sivasothy was also held to discuss the future outlook of diabetes care among healthcare professionals, who comprised of Health Ministry’s deputy director (Non-Communicable Diseases) Dr. Feisul Idzwan Mustapha; consultant physician and endocrinologist, head of Endocrine Unit at Hospital Putrajaya, and Health Ministry’s head of Endocrinology Subspecialty Service Datuk Dr. Zanariah Hussein; and consultant psychologist Dr. Hariyati Shahrima Abdul Majid.
In line with this year’s observance of World Diabetes Day on the theme of “Access to Diabetes Care – If Not Now, When?”, the forum also shed light on the accomplishments as well as gaps and challenges in diabetes management, iterated by a panel of expert speakers on various aspects including treatment, homecare, psychosocial management, as well as diabetes-related policies and programmes.
Novo Nordisk Pharma Malaysia vice president and general manager Richard Abela in his opening remarks said managing diabetes requires not just medicines but also constant management and attention, and affects the daily lives of those with the condition and their families and caregivers.
“At Novo Nordisk, we are committed to our goal of defeating diabetes through an integrated approach. From pioneering medical innovations to public awareness and education initiatives such as today’s forum, we will continue our concerted efforts for a future where people with diabetes can live a normal life free from diabetes-related complications,” he said.
Speaking on the future of diabetes management, Datuk Dr. Zanariah said, “We have come a long way since the discovery of insulin but diabetes treatment and management will see a different set of challenges, especially in a post-pandemic world.
“From adopting an integrated approach in care to increasing utilization of digital technologies in our engagement with patients, we look forward to seeing more developments that enable us to provide better care to people with diabetes.”
Dr. Hariyati said diabetes is a long-term disease that affect not only the patients but also their caregivers.
“Managing diabetes at home may bring upon psychological impact to both the person with diabetes and their caregivers. Thus a stronger focus on psychosocial wellbeing is important, and we hope that more mental healthcare professionals can be trained to better support chronic care management in the future,” she said.
Dr. Feisul said a multi-stakeholder collaboration is important towards creating a health-promoting living environment in Malaysia to reduce the risk of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) among at-risk populations.
“We are working to leverage digital health in catalyzing behavioural modification to reduce the exposure of at-risk populations to NCD risk factors. We will continue to streamline our efforts in developing programmes to educate the public about diabetes prevention, care and management,” he said, when closing the panel discussion.
The virtual World Diabetes Day 2021 Media Forum was organized by Novo Nordisk Pharma Malaysia together with the Disease Control Division, Ministry of Health Malaysia on Nov 11, 2021.
World Diabetes Day is an annual global awareness campaign initiated in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat posed by diabetes. The campaign aims to promote advocacy efforts, as well as to spread awareness on the importance of treating and managing the disease as a critical global health issue.
Novo Nordisk is a global healthcare company, founded in 1923 and headquartered in Bagsvaerd, Denmark, with a purpose to drive change to defeat diabetes and other serious chronic diseases such as obesity, rare blood and endocrine disorders.
