MIRI: Around 17.5 per cent of the adult population in Malaysia are already suffering from diabetes.
At present, Malaysia’s total population is estimated to be at 32 million.
The World Health Organisation has estimated that there would probably be around seven million adults in Malaysia affected by diabetes by 2025 – a worrying trend that could see the prevalence of diabetes among those aged 18 years and above at 31.3 per cent.
Dr Jamilah accepts a souvenir from the conference’s organising chairman Jong Koi Chong.
“The impact of this is very great, not only in terms of the number of individuals and families affected by the disease, but also the increase burden on our healthcare system and the economy as a whole,” said Health Department Sarawak director Dr Jamilah Hashim during the Second Borneo Diabetes Conference 2019 here yesterday.
According to her, there are so many Malaysians who have this ‘presently incurable disease’, and each of them faces higher risks of complications including heart attack, stroke, peripheral vascular disease, kidney failure, loss of vision, nerve damage, diabetic foot that could lead to amputation, and also coma.
“The root source (of the problem) lies in the patients’ lack of willingness to practise good diabetes management. We know that ignorance and indifference do not take away patients’ responsibility to control their diabetes,” she stressed.
Similarly, Dr Jamilah said doctors and health professionals also held the responsibility to help patients overcome their limitations in terms of understanding why and how they could manage diabetes.
“Clinicians must therefore play multiple roles – in addition to detecting, diagnosing and treating the disease, they also need to perform ‘a counselling role’, with the view of encouraging compliance with treatment,” she added.
She also stressed that patients would need to be empowered with the right attitude, knowledge and techniques to eat right, to practise good self-care and to come back for medical follow-ups.
“The current status of diabetes management in Malaysia is still not satisfactory. Results from a study done on over 6,000 people with diabetes in Malaysia, showed that only one-third of patients said they were taught about proper diabetes management.
“As health professionals, we can and must do a lot more to positively influence patients. Having said this, there are a lot of challenges that the doctors and healthcare professional face. Time constraints can be a factor.”
Based on this premise, Dr Jamilah welcomed the initiative to make the education online.
“I understand that it is one of the media that can provide practical updates and information to diabetes patient to empower their disease management.”