KUALA LUMPUR, 16 NOVEMBER 2021 - Novo Nordisk, a leading global healthcare company, together with the Non-Communicable Disease Section of the Disease Control Division, Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH), organised a media forum in conjunction with World Diabetes Day 2021. Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Dr Noor Hisham bin Abdullah, Director-General, Ministry of Health Malaysia, delivered the keynote address together with opening remarks by Richard Abela, Vice President and General Manager of Novo Nordisk Pharma Malaysia (“Novo Nordisk”).
The forum, themed “Access to Diabetes Care in A Century of Insulin Discovery”, discussed the local diabetes care landscape and policy, reflecting on the past achievements and present progresses in the prevention and management of diabetes. A panel discussion was also held to discuss the future outlook of diabetes care among healthcare professionals, who comprised of:
- Dr. Feisul Idzwan Bin Mustapha, Deputy Director (Non-Communicable Diseases) at MOH
- Datuk Dr. Zanariah Hussein, Consultant Physician and Endocrinologist, Head of the Endocrine Unit at Hospital Putrajaya, and Head of the Endocrinology Subspecialty Service at MOH
- Dr. Hariyati Shahrima Abdul Majid, Consultant Psychologist
The current National Health and Morbidity Survey reported increasing prevalence of diabetes, affecting 1 in 5 adult Malaysians. In light of this, Dr. Noor Hisham reiterated the importance of a holistic approach in both prevention and disease management to combat the disease. “The government is well aware of this issue – in the 12th Malaysia Plan we have developed strategies to intensify efforts to combat non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, by increasing awareness programmes and screening efforts as well as macro-level initiatives and policies. We hope that policies such as the extension of the sugar tax announced in the 2022 Budget can help Malaysians better manage our current high consumption of sugary beverages1,” said Dr Noor Hisham.
In line with this year’s World Diabetes Day theme - “Access to Diabetes Care – If Not Now, When?”, the forum also shed light on the accomplishments as well as gaps and challenges in diabetes management, iterated by a panel of expert speakers on various aspects including treatment, homecare, psychosocial management, as well as diabetes-related policies and programmes.
“Managing diabetes requires far more than just medicines. It requires constant management and attention, and affects the daily lives of those with the condition and their families and caregivers. At Novo Nordisk, we are committed in our goal to defeat diabetes. From pioneering medical innovations to public awareness and education initiatives such as today’s forum, we will continue our concerted efforts for a future where people with diabetes can live a normal life – free from diabetes-related complications,” said Mr. Richard Abela.
Speaking on the future of diabetes management, Datuk Dr. Zanariah said, “We have come a long way since the discovery of insulin - diabetes treatment and management will see a different set of challenges, especially in a post-pandemic world. From adopting an integrated approach in care, to increasing utilisation of digital technologies in our engagement with patients, we look forward to seeing more developments that enable us to provide better care to people with diabetes.”
“Diabetes is a long-term disease that does not only affect the patient, but also their caregivers. Managing diabetes at home may bring upon psychological impact to both the person with diabetes and their caregivers. Thus a stronger focus in psychosocial wellbeing is important, and we hope that more mental healthcare professionals can be trained to better support chronic care management in the future,” added Dr. Hariyati.
“When it comes to raising awareness on diabetes, a multi-stakeholder collaboration is important towards creating a health-promoting living environment in Malaysia to reduce the risk of NCDs among Malaysians, particularly among at-risk populations. To this end, we are also working to leverage digital health in catalysing behavioural modification to reduce the exposure of at-risk populations to NCD risk factors. We will continue to streamline our efforts in developing programmes to educate the public about diabetes prevention, care and management,” said Dr. Feisul, when closing the panel discussion.
World Diabetes Day is an annual global awareness campaign initiated in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat posed by diabetes. The campaign aims to promote advocacy efforts, as well as to spread awareness on the importance of treating and managing the disease as a critical global health issue.
