MalayMail/CNA-Nov 4
The increasing number of young people in Malaysia who are diagnosed with diabetes will be a heavy strain on the country’s public healthcare system in the near future, Channel News Asia (CNA) has reported. That’s because diabetes could lead to further health problems like kidney and heart diseases, stroke, blindness, and nerve damage. National Kidney Foundation chief executive officer Khor Xin Yun told CNA that diabetes has been identified as the primary cause of kidney failure in Malaysia. “There has been an increase in those below age 45 requiring dialysis, making up 21.3 per cent of patients last year, up from 19 per cent in 2012,” she was quoted as saying. She pointed out that 52 per cent of new dialysis patients in Malaysia last year were diagnosed with diabetes and this trend has persisted over the past decade. Khor also emphasized that private dialysis treatment can be costly, with expenses potentially reaching up to RM50,000 annually for patients, adding that, the number of new individuals requiring dialysis has increased from 6,700 in 2012 to 9,600 last year. The Singapore-based news outlet reported several Malaysian diabetes experts calling for a massive national education and awareness campaign and stricter laws and policies to dial back this trend, starting with reducing the consumption of sugar drinks. Diabetes Malaysia president Ikram Ismail told CNA that Type Two diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, accounts for 95 per cent of diabetes cases in the country. He said the number of diabetes cases in Malaysia are rising at a faster rate now, surpassing earlier expectations. Read more at: https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2023/11/05/health-experts-predict-diabetes-will-heavily-burden-malaysias-healthcare-system-in-future/100416
