SEREMBAN, July 8 — The government has to spend RM4.9 billion a year to implement efforts to deal with problems related to diabetes in the country, which is seen as worrying, and it is estimated that 3.9 million adults currently suffer from the disease.
Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said the 2019 National Health and Morbidity Survey also found that the prevalence of diabetes among adults aged 18 and above showed an increase from 11.2 per cent in 2011 to 13.4 per cent in 2015, and then rose to 18.3 per cent in 2019.
Therefore, she said that continuous efforts, involving all relevant parties, are crucial in dealing with this disease, including through the organisation of the SeDia Cohort, which is the collection of long-term data to understand the complex interaction between lifestyle, environment, genetics and socio-economic development.
She said this to reporters after officiating the Seremban Diabetes Cohort (SeDia) programme, a collaboration between the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the International Medical University (IMU), which is the first large-scale cohort study focusing on diabetes patients, here today.
Meanwhile, Dr Zaliha said that the MOH is reviewing efforts to promote research and development (R&D), to increase the production of medicines in the country, including by involving various ministries.
She said that this will enable a reduced dependence on imported medicines.
