KUALA LUMPUR: The rise in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and the emergence of both new infectious diseases and resurging infectious diseases are among the social challenges faced by the Malaysian healthcare system, the Health White Paper reported.
The document also said that NCDs, or chronic diseases, were the main cause of deaths in Malaysia.
The main contributors to deaths were cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, cancer and diabetes.
“The challenge of controlling NCDs is also increasingly complicated due to a lack of awareness, late diagnosis and low adherence to treatment.
“Most cases are not detected at the early stages.
“Those from lower income groups and rural areas are also more susceptible to having NCDs,” it said.
It is also estimated that 98% of the Malaysian adult population has at least one NCD risk factor.
“Obesity is also a main indicator contributing to NCD prevalence.
“Most concerning is how Malaysia has the highest obesity prevalence in South-East Asia,” it read.
The document also noted how the rise in NCDs resulted in increasing treatment costs due to expensive long-term treatments for cardiovascular and kidney diseases.
“Apart from healthcare costs, NCDs also contribute to a loss in productivity, causing the economy to lose an estimated 1% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP),” the report said.
Recent studies also predicted an increasing probability and frequency of new infectious disease pandemics in the coming decades, the document reported.
It said population growth, changes in eating habits, deterioration in the planet’s health, and urbanisation, also contribute towards an increasing spread of pathogens from wildlife to humans.
“The spread of pathogens from wildlife to humans contributed approximately 60–75% of pandemics and the spread of infectious diseases.
“The resurgence of infectious diseases such as measles, tuberculosis and HIV is also concerning,” it said.
The White Paper said there are many factors that influence the resurgence of these diseases, including declining vaccination rates, microbe adaptation, increasing vulnerability towards infections, demographic changes and human behaviour, landscape urbanisation, and social inequality, among others.
“The emergence of new infectious diseases and the resurgence of other infectious diseases have also burdened the healthcare system, the preparedness mechanism, and treatment capacity through the increasing use of public hospitals, quarantine centres, and primary health clinics during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic,” it said.
