As Malaysians, we enjoy relatively cheap public healthcare and pride ourselves on globally high-ranked health services.
Despite some shortcomings, our nation’s healthcare system has been improving and advancing since Merdeka.
However, much of the healthcare system has been focusing on curative care.
Most of us look for medical assistance only when we are ill, and some even prefer to wait until we are very unwell before seeking help from healthcare professionals.
Many people are oblivious of the importance of prevention in healthcare, leading to the increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and related risk factors, which are the main health issues in the country.
The effect of this mindset can be seen from recent statistics.
The 2019 National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) shows that one in five Malaysian adults have diabetes, three in 10 adults have hypertension (high blood pressure), and two in five adults have elevated cholesterol levels.