KANGAR: The State Health Department is drawing up a Perlis Diabetes Control Strategic Plan, which is in the final draft stage, as part of efforts to control this non-communicable disease among the people in the state.
Perlis Health director Dr Ismuni Bohari said the diabetes control strategic plan is expected to be launched next year and it will focus on, among others, the involvement of the less fortunate and places of worship for the implementation of health checks.
“The mentality of villagers is such that they are afraid of health checks. They tend to not know about their health issues so that they can live a normal life,” he told reporters after the Perlis State Health Department’s Health and Strategic Partners media appreciation ceremony here.
Earlier, his his speech, Dr Ismuni said that based on the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2019, which involved Perlis folk aged 18 and above, the state has the second-highest number of diabetes patients in Malaysia at 32.7 per cent.
As such, he encouraged the public to undergo early health screening to avoid the risk of diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol, in addition to adopting a healthy lifestyle.
Dr Ismuni said that a total of 3,241 people from the asnaf (tithe) group involving 83 villages in Perlis benefitted from the free health screening through the special community programme organised by his department in collaboration with the Perlis Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (MAIPs) and Perlis Islamic Religious Department (JAIPs).
“The free health screening can provide up-to-date health information to identify non-communicable diseases, in addition to exploring issues faced by the less fortunate groups regarding the level of health, especially diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol,“ he said.–Bernama
