The Health Ministry plans to set up a special medical research unit.

Its minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said the ministry was now in efforts to encourage more medical practitioners, including medical assistants, to carry out research and generate new ideas.

"This effort is one of the ways of improving and increasing knowledge in the medical field. This is because the biggest challenge at the moment is how knowledge can change our society's way of living, in terms of health awareness," he said.

He said this when officiating the national-level Medical Assistants Day 2016 celebration held here Thursday, which was attended by about 500 medical assistants from around the country.

Subramaniam said through the unit, medical assistants would be made researchers to help the government improve medical research.

Meanwhile, Dr Subramaniam said the ministry requested medical assistants to help the Health Ministry detect more patients with diabetes in this country.

He said so far it was estimated that 17.5 percent of citizens aged 18 and above in this country suffered from diabetes.

"From the total number of diabetes patients in the country, only 8.5 percent have been detected having diabetes by the ministry and received treatment.

"The cooperation and commitment of medical assistants to detect diabetes patients is needed, so that they can receive effective treatment," he said.