(Front, from left) Kalaiarasu, Dr Mohanadas, Jamaliah, Prof Whitford and Dr Mohd Zin with other guests and participants at the conference in Cyberjaya. — SHAARI CHEMAT/The Star
Conference at Cyberjaya varsity sees medical community brainstorm to reduce burden on health services
Preventive health intiatives can lessen the burden of the national healthcare sector.
University of Cyberjaya (UoC) vice-chancellor Prof Dr David Whitford, keynote speaker at Selangor State Public Health Conference 2024, said preventive healthcare such as immunisation had economic benefits.
“According to a 2011-2020 study on the return on investment from childhood immunisation in low- and middle-income countries, every US$1 (RM4.4)spent on immunisation programmes returns up to US$44 (RM194) in economic benefits.
“This contributes to savings from reduced healthcare costs, improved productivity and healthier populations,” he said.
Prof Whitford was speaking at the university’s conference “Future Proofing Health: the Role of Prevention in Sustainable Healthcare”.
This inaugural meet focused on the importance of preventive healthcare and unsustainability of reactive healthcare.
Selangor public health and environment committee chairman Jamaliah Jamaluddin, opening the event, said the state aimed to expand its preventive health programme to alleviate the burden faced by the current healthcare sector.
“Programmes such as Selangor Saring enable early detection of non-communicable diseases through full health screenings while the Mental Sehat programme offers vital mental health support.
“Our goal is to equip citizens with resources needed to lead healthy lives, both physically and mentally,” she said.
Also present were Selangor State Economic Planning Unit director Datuk Johary Anuar, UoC pro-chancellor Tan Sri Dr R. Palan and medical faculty dean Mejar-Jen (R) Prof Datuk Dr Mohd Zin Bidin.
They were joined by Cyberjaya Education Group Bhd group chief commercial officer Kalaiarasu Malayandi and UoC Board of Directors and Board of Governors deputy chairman Mejar-Jen (R) Datuk Dr R. Mohanadas.
Dr Mohd Zin said the conference theme was ideal for navigating a changing world.
“This is our chance to collaborate, brainstorm and ignite new ideas to transform public health in the country.
“Investing in preventive measures can save lives and the reduce cost of reactive healthcare. This is the vision we must strive for,” he said.
The conference saw medical students of UoC and other universities as well as experts gather to share their thoughts on preventive healthcare.
Several booths were also available for delegates to enjoy free health screenings.
