Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – 17 September 2021 – Malaysia has one of the highest diabetes prevalence rate in Asia with nearly 3.9 million Malaysian adults suffering from diabetes, according to the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2019. As part of its on-going efforts in championing diabetes awareness and prevention, Sun Life Malaysia, a life insurance and family takaful provider, has once again introduced its ‘Brighter Health Blood Glucose Screening Programme’ to provide complimentary blood glucose screening to 12,000 Malaysians nationwide.
Raymond Lew, CEO and President/Country Head of Sun Life Malaysia said, “As the nation continues to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important that we do not lose sight of the prevention and treatment of non-communicable diseases which are equally life-threatening. Many people have been delaying the much needed health services to diagnose and treat these diseases since the pandemic began. Therefore, it is vital that we continue to find ways to prevent and treat these chronic diseases, especially diabetes.”
“In the case of diabetes, early detection is a key factor to prevent and even reverse diabetes. A simple act of getting your finger pricked to check the blood glucose level can be an effective way to assess the risks of developing diabetes and enable early detection which could avoid further health complications including kidney failure, heart problems and more.”
“The Brighter Health Blood Glucose Screening Programme was first rolled out end 2019 where data collected from 13,000 Malaysians revealed a worrying 74.3% of screened participants with higher than normal blood glucose readings,” shared Lew. “The findings were worrying and we wanted to continue raising awareness on the importance of early detection by continuing the Programme this year despite the challenges posed by the pandemic.”
For this year’s Programme, Sun Life Malaysia is collaborating with four health and wellness partners, namely Walnut Wellness, Roche Diagnostics (M) Sdn Bhd, AM PM Pharmacy Sdn Bhd, and Multicare Pharmacy Sdn Bhd with the aim of benefiting 12,000 Malaysians with complimentary blood glucose screenings. The Programme was soft-launched in June 2021 and is supported by 115 participating pharmacy outlets nationwide.
All screenings are carried out by registered pharmacists with a strict accordance to the COVID-19 prevention and SOPs set by the government to safeguard the health and safety of both participants and pharmacists administering the tests. Sun Life Malaysia reminds Malaysians looking to participate in the blood glucose check-up to mask up and protect themselves according to the government’s recommendations.
“At this juncture of daily COVID-19 cases in the country, I cannot overstate how important it is to protect ourselves against the virus through the practice of double-masking, physical distancing and strict hygiene,” Lew added.
Participants of the Brighter Health Blood Glucose Screening Programme will receive a RM30 e-voucher which can be used to purchase a Roche Accu-Chek blood glucose meter at any outlets under the two participating pharmacies: AM PM Pharmacy and Multicare Pharmacy.
“Sun Life Malaysia has always been a strong advocate of holistic health - physical, mental and financial. This programme is one of our many other community partnership efforts to drive the conversation on healthier lives, with a focus on diabetes awareness and prevention. Our Brighter Health Blood Glucose screening programme will continue to raise awareness on diabetes prevention and more importantly, promote sustained behavioural changes, like staying active, eating well and regular health screenings, that can go a long way in fighting diabetes,” Lew concluded.
For more information, please head to https://bit.ly/SL-BH or follow Sun Life Malaysia’s social media pages.
