Nearly 70% of the 301,650 participants at last year’s free health screenings under the PeKa B40 scheme were found to have at least one non-communicable disease (NCD), highlighting a growing health crisis in Malaysia.
In a Bernama report, ProtectHealth Corporation’s Dr Yussni Aris @ Haris said one in four participants was diagnosed with two or more NCDs such as diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol and obesity.
“This shows a rise in multimorbidity among those in the low-income group, many of whom may not realise they have NCDs,” said the ProtectHealth manager.
ProtectHealth, a wholly owned subsidiary of the health ministry, coordinates healthcare financing initiatives such as PeKa B40, the Madani Medical Scheme and the Hospital Services Outsourcing Programme.
According to the 2023 National Health and Morbidity Survey, 2.5% of Malaysian adults suffer from all four major NCDs, while 40% of diabetics were unaware of their condition until screened.
Yussni said NCDs threaten not only individual health but also national productivity. The World Health Organization reported in 2022 that NCDs caused 74% of deaths in Malaysia, mainly among adults aged 35 to 64.
“If this trend continues, more people will face complications such as heart attack, stroke and kidney failure. Treatment is costly and places a heavy burden on families and the healthcare system,” she said.
Yussni said that since its launch on May 31, 2019, only 1.6 million people from the B40 group had undergone free health screenings under PeKa B40, which offers comprehensive health screenings to 6.9 million Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah recipients.
ProtectHealth has partnered with 3,979 private clinics, 1,044 government clinics, 149 government hospitals and 211 private laboratories to expand access to the PeKa B40 health screenings.
It also raises awareness about the importance of early prevention through outreach programmes and home visits.
“We can provide access, facilities and information,” said Yussni, “but if the people themselves do not come forward for screening, this silent health crisis will continue to drag on unnoticed.”
Last November, health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said four “silent killer” diseases cause 72% of early deaths in Malaysia.
He said the diseases — heart and lung diseases, stroke, diabetes and cancer — also place a toll of RM64.2 billion on the economy every year.
