Health Ministry: Seven Million Adults In Malaysia Projected To Be Affected By Diabetes By 2025

This is because the Health Ministry said that although 3.6 million Malaysians are confirmed diabetics, many more are unaware that they actually suffer from this disease.

Worse still, the ministry has estimated that seven million adults, both diagnosed and undiagnosed, are projected to be affected by diabetes in Malaysia by 2025.

Oh no!

The Star Online, quoting Dr Feisul Idzwan Mustapha, Health Ministry's non-communicable diseases deputy director at the disease control division, said that for every Malaysian diagnosed with diabetes, another one would still be undiagnosed.

"The proportion of those undiagnosed with diabetes is high in Malaysia because despite availability and accessibility of health screening, many Malaysians are not getting their health screened.

"For every one who is diagnosed there is one who is undiagnosed, and I'm just talking about diabetes, not even other diseases, which are also high in number.

"Diabetes will remain asymptomatic, or showing no symptoms, for many years. But it takes just a simple finger-prick test to find out," he was quoted as saying.

To combat diabetes, the ministry and Danish multinational healthcare company Novo Nordisk have collaborated on the 'Sama-Sama' pilot project which will empower family caregivers in diabetes management and disease prevention.

The pilot project, which will run for a year, will see participants being recruited through the four public health clinics located within Putrajaya.