PUTRAJAYA: Behavioural insights play a role and present a challenge in encouraging diabetic patients to adhere to their treatment regimes, according to Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.
The Health Minister explained that it is about a person’s choices.
“If we address the issue, then we can solve our diabetes problem in the country. The risk factor in diabetes is, of course, sugar, in terms of availability.
“Sometimes, it’s not that he or she doesn’t know, but (it depends on) the availability of choices at the time. For example, one with sugar, one without, and one with less sugar. And this is what the introduction of Nutri-Grade does,” he said after the launch of the Empowering Patients Living with Diabetes (the Erat programme) here yesterday.
He added that affordability was also a factor in choice-making.
The Health Ministry had earlier announced it is developing a mandatory Nutri-Grade system to classify beverages based on their total sugar content.
Under the system, drinks with more than 10g of sugar per 100ml will be banned from being advertised on all platforms.
Dzulkefly cited the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2023, which revealed alarming statistics: about 3.6 million adults in Malaysia, or 18.3% of the adult population, are living with diabetes.
The NHMS data presents a “3+1” scenario, identifying three primary risk factors – uncontrolled blood glucose levels, obesity and hypertension – that contribute to the escalating diabetes epidemic.
The additional factor of low health literacy complicates patients’ ability to manage their diabetes effectively.
Dzulkefly said nearly 1.9 million people are unaware of their condition.
“This demands urgent and strategic action to detect those at risk earlier, strengthen prevention and health promotion, and ensure continuous care and support for those already diagnosed.
“Within our health system, this effort is further reinforced through multidisciplinary collaboration, involving doctors, nurses, dietitians and pharmacists working hand in hand to provide continuous and person-centred care,” he said.
Dzulkefly said the Erat programme, set to transform the disease management, will be supported by leveraging the expertise of Diabetes Medication Therapy Adherence Clinics (DMTAC) pharmacists through strategic partnership with the Health Ministry, the Malaysian Pharmacists Society (MPS), and healthcare company Novo Nordisk.
He also witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Health Ministry and the MPS to formalise cooperation for the project.
Dzulkefly said pharmacists play a pivotal role through the DMTAC, a pharmacist-led service that has significantly improved medication understanding and treatment outcomes.
Local studies have shown that patients under DMTAC achieve markedly better results compared with standard care, he added.
“These outcomes mirror international benchmarks observed in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia and Turkiye,” he said.
Dzulkefly added that the Health Ministry will continue to intensify efforts to fight the pandemic of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), particularly diabetes, through the “War on Sugar” initiative.
It is a whole-of-nation movement that promotes healthier lifestyles by reducing sugar intake, encouraging better food choices, and strengthening early detection and screening.
Health Ministry deputy director-general (Pharmaceutical Services) Dr Azuana Ramli said since the launch of the real-time online DMTAC registry in 2024, a total of 24,176 patients have been enrolled, with 81% achieving improved HbA1c levels, demonstrating better glucose control and medication adherence.
(The HbA1c is a blood test that shows an average blood sugar level over the past two to three months.)
However, about 17% of patients continue to struggle with maintaining good glycaemic control, and only 15% engage in self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG), she said.
“Strengthening SMBG awareness and accessibility remains crucial to supporting this subgroup more effectively. This is where the ERAT programme comes in.
“It is designed to bridge these gaps by empowering patients, enhancing pharmacist-patient engagement, and encouraging better self-care at home,” she said in her speech at the event.
A total of 402 Health Ministry facilities nationwide offer DMTAC services, which are complemented by the support of 30 training centres and 37 certified preceptors.
