KUALA LUMPUR: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has consistently accounted for nearly 23.3% of all deaths in Malaysia for many years, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.
He said high cholesterol was a major risk factor for atherosclerotic CVD, a leading cause of morbidity and mortality.
Dr Dzulkefly said that according to the 2023 National Health and Morbidity Survey, 33.3% of adults in Malaysia or 7.6 million people aged 18 and above suffer from high cholesterol.
“More worryingly, one in two adults with high cholesterol don’t even know they have it because increased cholesterol levels often don’t have symptoms.
“Despite treatment, the challenge has always been there, the control of cholesterol levels is still not at target for many patients, especially those with high risk. This is the gap that needs to be bridged,” he said in his speech before officiating the Grand Round and innovation of the National Heart Institute (IJN) Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Clinic (CRRC) here today.
Dr Dzulkefly said since its establishment two years ago, CRRC has treated close to 600 patients, significantly improving their quality of life and health outcomes.
“A regular clinic at IJN, the CRCC is a patient-oriented cardiovascular service aimed at reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease in earmarked patients. All these patients have successfully controlled and reduced their cardiovascular disease risk factors,” he added.
He said this Grand Round aligned perfectly with the Health Ministry’s National Strategic Plan for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) 2016-2025, with the goal to reduce NCD deaths from 20% in 2023 to 15% by 2025.
The minister said this would involve various strategies, one of which is using CRRC multidisciplinary clinic to optimise patient risk.
“This model is replicable in various forms throughout the country, depending on resources. The concept of private-public partnership can ensure better management and more effective outcomes,” he added.
