Cost of treatment for heart disease to increase without effective action, health DG warns

The burden of treatment costs for heart disease in the country is expected to continue increasing if no effective action is taken by stakeholders to control and prevent the disease, health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said today. 

Citing this year’s "Direct Healthcare Cost of Non-communicable Diseases in Malaysia" report, he said an estimated RM3.93 billion of the total RM9.65 billion in healthcare costs in 2017 went to treating heart patients.

"Therefore, collaboration between the health ministry and other agencies, including government departments, statutory bodies, private sectors and NGOs, is vital to strengthening the governance of heart disease care and prevention in Malaysia more comprehensively.

"More importantly, the role of the community is critical in ensuring the success of this effort," he said in his welcoming speech at the launch of the World Heart Day celebration in Kuala Lumpur.

Noor Hisham said heart disease or cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death globally, causing over 18.6 million deaths each year.

He said of the total, 85% were caused by coronary heart diseases such as heart attacks and strokes, mostly in low- and middle-income countries.

"In Malaysia, ischemic heart disease remains the main cause of death with 18,515 deaths or 17% recorded in 2020, an increase from 11.6% in 2000," he said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Health Minister Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali, in his speech, urged parents to set a good example for their children in adopting a healthy lifestyle to control and prevent illnesses such as heart disease.

He said unhealthy lifestyles such as eating food that is high in fat, salt and sugar, smoking, not exercising and high levels of stress would increase a person’s risk of disease.

"If we want healthy and fit children, we as parents must first adopt a healthy lifestyle. Parents must create an environment to encourage a healthy lifestyle," he said.