KUCHING: The ‘new age’ way of life in modern Malaysia has actually put the people at risk.
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) deputy vice-chancellor (academic and international affairs) Prof Datuk Dr Noor Azlan Ghazali said unhealthy diets, sedentary lifestyles, tobacco use and alcohol abuse have led to the rapid rise of a host of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
“I’m sure most of us here are very much aware of the agonising credence these diseases bear, from the facet of healthcare cost to the social impact in an individual, community and nation in general,” he said in his speech for the third International Public Health Conference and 20th National Public Health Colloquium opening yesterday.
The Malaysian National Health Morbidity Survey in 2011 showed that over the span of five years from 2006, the prevalence of diabetes among those aged 18 and above increased from 11.6 per cent to 15.6 per cent.
Hypertension increased from 20 per cent to 36 per cent with circulatory disease and cancer also on the rise.
Dr Noor Azlan urged healthcare providers not to rest on their laurels and lose the fight against NCD.
The two-day conference is a joint collaboration between UKM, United Nations University International Institute of Global Health, state Health Department, Sarawak Nursing Professional Association, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) and the Sarawak Convention Bureau.