Speech by Y.B. Dato' Sri Liow Tiong Lai Minister of Health

SPEECH BY Y.B. DATO’ SRI LIOW TIONG LAI MINISTER OF HEALTH, MALAYSIA AT THE “1MALAYSIA BRINGS DIABETES TO LIGHT” CAMPAIGN KLCC COMPOUND, 14 NOVEMBER 2009 @ 7.30 PM Y.B. Raja Nong Chik Zainal Abidin, Federal Territory Minister. Y.Bhg Dato’ Ahmad Fuad Ismail, Datuk Bandar Kuala Lumpur. Y.Bhg Tan Sri Mohd Hassan Marican, President & Chief Executive Officer, Petroliam Nasional Berhad. Y.Bhg Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Abu Bakar Suleiman, Chairman, National Diabetes Institute (NADI). Y.Bhg Emeritus Professor Dato’ Mustaffa Embong, Executive Director, NADI. Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. Selamat malam and Salam 1Malaysia . 1. Firstly, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to NADI for inviting me to officiate at this historic event - “1Malaysia Brings Diabetes to Light”, right under the shadow of one of Malaysia’s icon, the Petronas Twin Tower. Congratulations to NADI for organizing this campaign in conjunction with World Diabetes Day, which is celebrated worldwide today. Ladies and gentlemen, 2. The prevalence of diabetes mellitus continues to rise in Malaysia. Results of the two latest National Health and Morbidity Surveys showed a dramatic increase in the prevalence from 8.3% in 1996 to 14.9% in 2006 for Malaysian adults aged 30 years and above – an increase of 80% over a period of just 10 years. More worryingly, about a third (or 36%) of the diabetic population are undiagnosed! 1 3. This increase is surely very much linked to the vast increase in the prevalence of obesity in Malaysia. The same surveys showed that the prevalence of obesity had increased from 4.4% in 1996 to 14.0% in 2006 for adult Malaysians aged 18 years and above – an increase of over 200% in just 10 years. This is a worrying trend as obese individuals are at risk of developing diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, stroke, certain types of cancers, and many other non-communicable diseases (or NCD). 4. Scientific evidence has shown that NCD can be prevented. To achieve this, we must utilise a strategic approach with emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention activities; such as creating a health-promoting environment which encourages a healthy lifestyle, increasing awareness of NCD through health promotion and education, and early NCD risk factor identification and intervention. The government has undertaken numerous programmes and activities to prevent and control NCD since the 1990s, using a comprehensive approach of primary, secondary and tertiary prevention. 5. To further intensify our efforts in the prevention and control of NCD, the Ministry of Health is currently finalising the Malaysian National Strategic Plan for Non- Communicable Diseases (or NSP-NCD), using diabetes and obesity as the entry points. The NSP-NCD contains seven action areas which are in line with the various resolutions related to NCD that have been adopted by the WHO, and adapted to suit the socio-cultural environment in Malaysia. The seven action areas are: i. Prevention and Promotion; ii. Clinical Management; iii. Increasing Patient Compliance; iv. Action with NGOs, Professional Bodies and Other Stakeholders; v. Monitoring, Research and Surveillance; vi. Capacity Building; and vii. Policy and Regulatory Interventions. 2 6. The challenge now is on us to operationalise the contents of this document, bearing in mind that many of the underlying determinants of NCD are actually outside the direct domain of the health sector. There is therefore an urgent and important need for inter-sectoral involvement and collaboration for an effective NCD prevention and control response in Malaysia. By inter-sectoral, I do not mean just the different ministries and departments of the government, but also the NGOs, professional organizations like NADI, the private sector including the food and beverage industries, the media and civil society. 7. We have done a lot to prevent and control NCD in Malaysia over the years. However, there is still much more that we can and need to do. For example, I have indicated earlier that a third of Malaysians with diabetes are undiagnosed. It is therefore important for us to screen all Malaysians who are at risk of developing diabetes. 8. Community-based screening has its limitations because it is often those who are at lower risk that are more likely to come for such screenings. While the Ministry of Health continues to strengthen efforts to provide an effective and comprehensive opportunistic screening for NCD risk factors in all our health facilities, we need to continue to raise Malaysians’ awareness of the importance of regular health screenings, through mass media and health promotional campaigns. NADI can certainly contribute greatly towards these efforts. 9. As far back as 2003, the Public Services Department had issued a service circular encouraging all civil servants aged 40 years and above to undergo annual health screenings. While the implementation of this circular can be further improved, I would like to take this opportunity to urge the private sector to also undertake similar initiatives in their workplaces. Some companies have already incorporated regular health screenings as part of their human resource policy. This is something I feel that both the government and private sector can work on together, to make the implementation of health screenings more comprehensive and effective. Ladies and gentlemen, 3 10. Specific programmes to promote healthy lifestyles at workplaces and in the community can also enhance our efforts to prevent and control NCD in Malaysia. In this respect, professional organisations and NGOs like NADI can play a major role in implementing such programmes. In fact, in developed countries, these organisations feature prominently in such initiatives. 11. While the Ministry of Health has begun efforts to introduce such programmes at workplaces within the Ministry, we need the assistance of professional organisations and NGOs to extend their coverage to the private sector. I think such programmes, for example workplace-based weight-reduction programmes, will be of immense benefit to the public because they will complement the services provided at our health clinics. Community empowerment can be a very powerful tool in preventing and controlling NCD. Ladies and gentlemen, 12. As the number of Malaysians with diabetes continues to rise, the consequent disability and premature deaths among our economically-productive population will result in the loss of productivity for our nation. All of us, therefore, have a crucial role to play in the prevention and control of diabetes in Malaysia. In doing so, we will be faced with our own sets of challenges and constraints, but we must never falter in moving forward. 13. As I have mentioned, the solutions to many of the factors influencing unhealthy behaviour, unhealthy eating and physical inactivity lie beyond the health sector. Therefore, all of us have to play a strong advocacy role. We have to impress upon all the relevant stakeholders that NCD is a major public health problem that concerns everyone in Malaysia, and that the situation is threatening to become more serious by the day. We must advise them on the roles that they should play in helping to create a health-promoting environment in the country. 14. On that note, ladies and gentlemen, I have pleasure in launching the “1MALAYSIA BRINGS DIABETES TO LIGHT” campaign. Thank you. 4.

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