The Health Ministry has allegedly failed to address the alarming increase in non-communicable, or chronic, diseases (NCD) in the country.
Three Pakatan Rakyat lawmakers, two of them doctors, today pinned the blame on the ministry which they said “failed to appreciate preventive measures and institute the right actions” to address the ‘crisis’.
PKR MP Dr Azman Ismail (Kuala Kedah) told a press conference that despite receiving more than RM18 billion budget allocation for 2013, the Ministry has mainly encouraged people to exercise, but that was "not good enough".
“Exercise is actually a good thing, but it is not good enough because among the leading factors that cause NCD is that nutritional factors, according the journals and scientific papers,” said Azman.
Azman, who was together with DAP MPs Dr Ko Chun Sen (Kampar) and Seah Leong Peng (Teluk Intan), said that experts agree that 70-80% of these diseases are due to the food one takes.
“These include omega fat imbalance, which leads to inflammation), excessive sugar consumption, refined carbohydrates and chemicals in the foods,” he said.
Azman said all these elements are commonly found in processed foods, and advised the public to take traditional foods.
“Traditional fats such as coconut oil, butter, coconut shavings, palm oil, ghee and lard are considered healthy, while man-made fats and trans fat is dangerous,” he explained.
He said processed foods, including breakfast cereals, are also unhealthy.
“We can have a total ban on trans fats. It is known and proven to be causing all these diseases and many people are unaware. In Denmark, Austria, Holland, California, they have banned it so much so that even their fastfood have become more healthy.”
Azman said that according to figures in 2010, there were 35,000 Malaysians who died due to heart attacks and strokes alone.
“Those figures don’t take into account of cancer, kidney problems and other diseases and leave more and more people maimed or disabled,” he said.
Azman said that victims are becoming younger and involve every level of society, adding that he gets at least two cases every week in his clinic in Kedah. He added that many of his patients were fishermen and farmers and were not even obese.
Citing more alarming statistics, Azman said that Malaysia is one of the highest number of such cases in the world. He said that Malaysia was the “Number One” country when it comes to the number of diabetics and obese people among all Asean countries.
“We have 3.6 million diabetics and this has surpased predictions by the World Health Organisation which says that Malaysia is expected to have 807,000 by 2025.”
Meanwhile, Dr Ko, a cardiologist, said that the problem is not just confined to the affluent but also affect the poor.
“It is mainly due to wrong diet. Sufferers from working and lower classes. Malaysia has yet to achieve high income but we already have all the diseases of the western world,” he said.
Ko said that these problems are exacerbated by the lack of informaiton by the government and lack of regulation, such as the display of nutritional information in restaurants and food products.
A few days ago, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said NCDs are the leading cause of hospital admission and mortality in Malaysia.
Subramaniam also said NCD is also the highest cause of premature death in the country.
"NCD is a global pandemic. Based on the World Health Organisation's report in 2005, NCD contributed to 75 per cent of global disease burden where 60 per cent involved death.
"Death caused by NCD is expected to increase 17 per cent over the next 10 years and statistic shows that one in every five Malaysians aged above 30 is suffering from diabetes," he said.
NCD include non-infectious such as diabetes, asthma, hypertension, cancer, obesity, osteoporosis and more.
In Malaysia, obesity is the current health problem with 8.5 million Malaysians having weight problem. About 4.4 million people, roughly one in three, are categorised as obese.
Teoh El Sen
Mon Sep 30 2013
PM Anwar dijangka tiba di sempadan Rafah Jun ini, hantar bantuan ke Gaza - Nik Nazmi
Misi tersebut bukti komitmen dan keseriusan Kerajaan dalam membantu rakyat Palestin yang sedang menghadapi kesengsaraan akibat perang di Gaza.
Polis kesan pemilik akaun media sosial timbul kebencian terhadap pemain bola sepak - Saifuddin
Saifuddin mengesahkan polis sedang mengesan pemilik akaun media sosial yang dipercayai menimbulkan kebencian terhadap pemain bola sepak kebangsaan.
Bantuan kontena Malaysia ke Gaza berlepas dari Kaherah ke sempadan Rafah
Nik Nazmi berkata, misi dilakukan secara berperingkat dan turut melibatkan badan bukan kerajaan (NGO) tempatan dan antarabangsa.
Pokok tumbang: Perkhidmatan monorel terjejas, Rapid Rail sedia bas, tren perantara
Insiden pokok tumbang di Jalan Sultan Ismail di sini menyebabkan perkhidmatan monorel mengalami gangguan.
Gaji penjawat awam Sabah naik selaras dengan Persekutuan - Hajiji
Kerajaan negeri akan terlebih dahulu meneliti perincian kenaikan gaji penjawat awam yang dijangka diumumkan pada Belanjawan 2025 Oktober ini sebelum melaksanakan sebarang kenaikan.
[TERKINI] Seorang maut dalam kejadian pokok tumbang di Jalan Sultan Ismail
Sebatang pokok besar di Jalan Sultan Ismail tumbang susulan hujan lebat dan angin kencang sehingga menyebabkan beberaoa kenderaan remuk akibat dihempap.
NACS bukan sekadar strategi, jadikan Malaysia negara hebat tatakelola
Perdana Menteri tegaskan Strategi Pembanterasan Rasuah Nasional (NACS) bukan sekadar strategi tetapi bakal melonjakkan kedudukan Malaysia sebagai negara dengan pengurusan tatakelola terhebat di rantau ini.
NACP: Ketirisan RM277 bilion dalam lima tahun sangat menggemparkan – PM Anwar
Jumlah ketirisan sehingga mencecah RM277 bilion dalam tempoh lima tahun (2018 – 2023) seperti yang didedahkan Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) adalah angka yang menggemparkan, dan membuktikan gejala rasuah semakin membengkak, kata Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Seorang maut, seorang cedera dihempap pokok tumbang di Jalan Sultan Ismail
Seorang lelaki berusia 47 tahun maut manakala seorang lagi berusia 26 tahun cedera dalam insiden pokok besar tumbang di Jalan Sultan Ismail pada petang Selasa.
Penjenamaan PPR bakal jadikan PRR setanding HDR di Singapura, Jepun dan Korea - Nga Kor Ming
KPKT dalam proses menjenamakan semula PPR kepada PRR di mana model pembinaannya setanding perumahan rakyat di Singapura, Jepun dan Korea Selatan.
KPDN Kelantan pantau jualan kurma Israel
Bagaimanapun, pihak KPDN Kelantan belum menerima sebarang laporan atau aduan berhubung isu itu setakat ini.
Subsidi lebih RM4.4 juta dalam 679 Program Jualan Rahmah di Kelantan
Jumlah itu diperolehi selepas pihaknya menjalankan 679 PJR dengan hasil jualan melebihi RM24 juta di 14 kawasan parlimen.
PRK Simpang Jeram: BN-PH lancar gerakan besar-besaran dekati rakyat
UMNO Bahagian Bakri bertekad membantu calon Amanah yang akan bertanding, sekali gus memastikan mereka menang PRK tersebut.
Tak sempat seludup 1,814 kg minyak masak ke Thailand
Pemeriksaan lanjut di dalam kenderaan tersebut menemui kotak berisi minyak masak peket 1,814 kg.
KPDN laksana Op Terjah pantau harga di bazar Ramadan
KPDN Kelantan akan melakukan Op Terjah di bazar Ramadan bagi memantau peniaga yang menaikkan harga jualan secara tidak munasabah.
KPDN Kelantan rekod rampasan hampir RM5.7 juta kes barang kawalan
Jumlah kes tersebut melibatkan rampasan minyak masak paket bersubsidi, gula, tepung gandum, kenderaan, petrol dan diesel dengan nilai denda keseluruhan RM203,300.
Tambahan stok 30 peratus kepada peruncit di musim banjir - KPDNHEP Kelantan
Tindakan itu dilakukan sebagai persediaan menghadapi musim banjir yang dijangka tidak lama lagi.
KPDNHEP Kelantan rampas 1,041kg minyak masak bersubsidi
Rampasan dilakukan dalam Operasi Membanteras Ketirisan Barang Kawalan di sekitar sempadan pada jam 11.40 pagi.
Gubal segera akta berkaitan ketum
Negara memiliki pokok ketum berkualiti tinggi, namun manfaat herba berkenaan dibolot negara jiran, iaitu Thailand.
Kemenangan berganda untuk PLUS dan ELITE, diiktiraf lebuh raya sistem tertutup terbaik
Kemenangan itu adalah bukti pengorbanan serta kerja keras pasukan PLUS, kata Pengarah Urusan PLUS Datuk Azman Ismail.