Latest news with #NationalHealthScreeningInitiative
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- Health
- New Straits Times
Health Ministry flags diabetes risk as screening hits nearly 889,000
KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 888,626 individuals have undergone health screening under the National Health Screening Initiative (NHSI) as of July 11. Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said individuals identified as being at risk of diabetes would be referred to health clinics for further diagnosis and treatment. He said the Health Ministry had rolled out several nationwide initiatives to ensure that high-risk groups have access to screening services. "The NHSI initiative is targeted at citizens aged 18 and above. The public can undergo this screening at any health facility through an appointment made via the MySejahtera app. "Individuals identified as at-risk for diabetes will be referred to a health clinic for diagnosis confirmation and further treatment. As of July 11, a total of 888,626 individuals have undergone health screening under this NHSI initiative this year. "Collaboration has also been established with private health clinics registered under the PeKa B40 scheme, a government initiative under the Health Ministry that provides free health screening services to the low-income group, focusing on early detection of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). "The expansion of health screening programmes is also carried out in collaboration with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the Social Security Organisation through the Komuniti Sihat Pembina Negara (Kospen) Community and Kospen WOW (Wellness of Workers) programmes," he said in a written parliamentary reply. He added that as of July, a total of 192,862 individuals have been screened under the Kospen programmes. Dzulkefly was responding to a question from Mohd Misbahul Munir Masduki (PN-Parit Buntar), who had asked about strategies to address low awareness and late detection of diabetes, including early detection approaches at the community level. He was also asked about intervention measures to ensure that at-risk populations have systematic access to early screening, given the increasingly alarming prevalence of diabetes in several states. Dzulkefly said the government has planned and implemented various strategies to tackle the issue. This includes adopting a whole-of-nation approach under the Agenda Nasional Malaysia Sihat (ANMS) to strengthen health promotion and the control of NCDs, including diabetes. Among the initiatives under ANMS are the Kospen programmes, where the community health agent concept, MyChampion, trained by the Health Ministry, is used to deliver health messages encompassing behavioural change interventions to encourage early disease detection. This also includes providing health screening services via 16 mobile units, known as Wellness on Wheels (WOW), nationwide, and implementing weight management programmes at 33 wellness hubs to address NCD risk factors among targeted communities. Meanwhile, the ministry also promotes a sense of "ownership" of one's health among civil servants through the Putrajaya Sihat Sejahtera 2024-2030 initiative, which involves 26 ministries in Putrajaya and aims to strengthen self-healthcare practices. This includes the continuous implementation of health advocacy activities involving clinical experts, public health specialists, and influencers. "Health messages are disseminated through various communication channels, including mass media and digital platforms such as social media, to ensure wide coverage and effective delivery of information to all levels of society," he said.
The Star
16-06-2025
- Health
- The Star
Don't wait until it's too late
Healthy habits: Dzulkefly encouraging people to get their health screenings at the Paroi constituency's Healthy Minds Prosperous Community Carnival at Masjid Kariah in Taman Bandar Senawang, Negri Sembilan. — Bernama SEREMBAN: The relatively low level of health literacy among some Malaysians is one of the key reasons they avoid regular health screenings, including for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), cancer and mental health, says Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad. He said most people only seek treatment once a disease has been identified or has progressed to a more serious stage, rather than going for early check-ups. That is why, he said, it is important for the public to take care of their health and that of their family members by undergoing health screenings, followed by appropriate interventions and treatment. 'This is why the Health Ministry, under the National Health Screening Initiative, emphasises screenings not only for NCDs but also for cancer and mental health,' he told reporters after opening the Paroi constituency's Healthy Mind, Prosperous Community Carnival here yesterday. Also present was Negri Sembilan Health Department director Dr Zuraida Mohamed. Citing the latest National Health and Morbidity Survey, Dzulkefly said that one in three adult Malaysians suffers from high blood pressure, one in three has high cholesterol and one in six has diabetes, with 50% facing obesity. 'That is why I want to see greater awareness of the importance of health screenings. I hope these efforts are well received by the people. 'We have initiatives like Peka B40, Komuniti Sihat Pembina Negara and services at district health offices,' he said, Bernama reported. Meanwhile, Dzulkefly said that Covid-19 cases in the country remain under control and below the national alert level, with an average of 600 cases per week. The Health Ministry, he added, will continue to monitor the situation. When asked about the need for Malaysians to get an additional dose of the Covid-19 vaccine following a rise in cases in a neighbouring country, he said there is no need to make it mandatory at this time, but advised the public to continue observing preventive measures.
Malaysian Reserve
15-06-2025
- Health
- Malaysian Reserve
Dzulkefly: Low health literacy main reason for people avoiding regular health screenings
SEREMBAN — The relatively low level of health literacy among some Malaysians is one of the key reasons they avoid regular health screenings, including for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), cancer, and mental health issues, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad. He said most people only seek treatment when the disease has been identified or is at a more serious stage, rather than go for an early check-up. That is why, he said, it is important for the public to take care of their health and that of their family members by going for health screenings, followed by intervention and treatment. 'This is why the Ministry of Health (MOH), under the National Health Screening Initiative (NHSI), emphasises screening, not only for NCDs, but also for cancer and mental health,' he told reporters after opening the Paroi constituency's Healthy Mind Carnival, Prosperous Community here today. Also present was Negeri Sembilan Health Director Dr Zuraida Mohamed. Citing the latest National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS), Dzulkefly said that one in three adult Malaysians suffers from high blood pressure, one in three has high cholesterol, while one in six suffers from diabetes, with 50 per cent facing obesity. 'That is why I want to see greater awareness about the importance of health screenings. I hope these efforts are well-received by the people. We have initiatives like Peka B40, Komuniti Sihat Pembina Negara (KOSPEN) and services at District Health Offices,' he said. Meanwhile, he said COVID-19 cases in the country are under control and below the national alert level, with an average of 600 cases per week. The Health Ministry, he said, will continue to monitor the situation. When asked about the need for Malaysians to get an additional dose of the COVID-19 vaccine following the increase in cases in a neighbouring country, he said there was no need to make it mandatory at this time, but advised the public to always take preventive measures. — BERNAMA
New Straits Times
15-06-2025
- Health
- New Straits Times
Low health literacy main reason for people avoiding regular health screenings
SEREMBAN: The relatively low level of health literacy among some Malaysians is one of the key reasons they avoid regular health screenings, including for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), cancer, and mental health issues, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad. He said most people only seek treatment when the disease has been identified or is at a more serious stage, rather than go for an early check-up. That is why, he said, it is important for the public to take care of their health and that of their family members by going for health screenings, followed by intervention and treatment. "This is why the Health Ministry, under the National Health Screening Initiative (NHSI), emphasises screening, not only for NCDs, but also for cancer and mental health," he told reporters after opening the Paroi constituency's Healthy Mind Carnival, Prosperous Community here today. Also present was Negri Sembilan Health Director Dr Zuraida Mohamed. Citing the latest National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS), Dzulkefly said that one in three adult Malaysians suffers from high blood pressure, one in three has high cholesterol, while one in six suffers from diabetes, with 50 per cent facing obesity. "That is why I want to see greater awareness about the importance of health screenings. "I hope these efforts are well-received by the people. We have initiatives like Peka B40, Komuniti Sihat Pembina Negara (KOSPEN) and services at District Health Offices," he said. Meanwhile, he said Covid-19 cases in the country are under control and below the national alert level, with an average of 600 cases per week. The ministry, he said, will continue to monitor the situation. When asked about the need for Malaysians to get an additional dose of the Covid-19 vaccine following the increase in cases in a neighbouring country, he said there was no need to make it mandatory at this time, but advised the public to always take preventive measures.
Daily Express
15-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Express
Low heath literacy main reason for people avoiding regular health screenings: Minister
Published on: Sunday, June 15, 2025 Published on: Sun, Jun 15, 2025 By: Bernama Text Size: For illustrative purposes only. - Vecteezy SEREMBAN: The relatively low level of health literacy among some Malaysians is one of the key reasons they avoid regular health screenings, including for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), cancer, and mental health issues, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad. He said most people only seek treatment when the disease has been identified or is at a more serious stage, rather than go for an early check-up. Advertisement That is why, he said, it is important for the public to take care of their health and that of their family members by going for health screenings, followed by intervention and treatment. 'This is why the Ministry of Health (MOH), under the National Health Screening Initiative (NHSI), emphasises screening, not only for NCDs, but also for cancer and mental health,' he told reporters after opening the Paroi constituency's Healthy Mind Carnival, Prosperous Community here today. Also present was Negeri Sembilan Health Director Dr Zuraida Mohamed. Citing the latest National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS), Dzulkefly said that one in three adult Malaysians suffers from high blood pressure, one in three has high cholesterol, while one in six suffers from diabetes, with 50 per cent facing obesity. "That is why I want to see greater awareness about the importance of health screenings. I hope these efforts are well-received by the people. We have initiatives like Peka B40, Komuniti Sihat Pembina Negara (Kospen) and services at District Health Offices,' he said. Meanwhile, he said Covid-19 cases in the country are under control and below the national alert level, with an average of 600 cases per week. The Health Ministry, he said, will continue to monitor the situation. When asked about the need for Malaysians to get an additional dose of the Covid-19 vaccine following the increase in cases in a neighbouring country, he said there was no need to make it mandatory at this time, but advised the public to always take preventive measures. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
