Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad told the Dewan Rakyat on 6 October that more than eight in 10 Malaysians aged 18 to 29 with diabetes or hypertension don’t know they have it. The estimate comes from the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2023.
Kidney Failure Is One Costly Complication
Both conditions may not cause obvious symptoms until they lead to complications, which can be far more expensive to manage. Kidney failure is one such complication as the Health Ministry puts dialysis at RM1,640.50 a month per patient, about RM19,700 a year or RM98,400 over five years.
Low-income patients in the government’s subsidy scheme pay RM10 a month, but anyone outside the scheme gets no such help.
Undiagnosed Cases Are Common Under 40
Among 30 to 39 year olds, more than 60% of diabetes cases and more than 70% of hypertension cases are undiagnosed.
Across both age groups, the survey estimates about 1.85 million cases of the two conditions, which is the total we get from adding up the minister’s figures. Someone with both conditions is counted twice, so the number of people is lower.
Screening Is Open To Anyone 18 And Above
If you’re 18 or older, the National Health Screening Initiative (NHSI) covers you. The programme is funded with RM10 million a year under Agenda Nasional Malaysia Sihat. Since 2022, it has screened more than 2.65 million people under 40, finding nearly 340,000 cases of high blood pressure and 176,000 cases of high blood glucose.
You can book through the MySejahtera app (App Store | Google Play). Open the app, tap your name, choose NHSI from the list of services, then pick a location and an appointment slot.
If you’re 40 and above and receive Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR), you can also get PeKa B40 free health screenings.
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