KUALA SELANGOR: Malaysia must prioritise preventive care over treatment to tackle non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which kill nearly 98,000 people annually and cost the economy RM64bil every year, says Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.
Speaking at the launch of the Kuala Selangor Wellness Hub on Sunday (Aug 23), Dzulkefly warned that the Health Ministry will remain in "crisis mode" unless the country shifts away from a "sick care" approach, where patients seek help only after becoming ill.
"We can build more hospitals and facilities, but we will not solve the problem unless we take an upstream approach and families take responsibility for their own health," he said, highlighting that ischaemic heart disease remains the top killer among NCDs, followed by chronic respiratory diseases, stroke, and cancer.
Out of the total financial toll, RM12.4bil goes directly toward medical treatments, while RM51.4bil is lost to reduced workplace productivity, absenteeism, and premature deaths—many caused by late-stage diagnoses.
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To counter this, the ministry is leveraging its nationwide network of 38 Wellness Hubs to emphasise early screening, weight management, mental health support, and healthy ageing. The facilities have reached over 1.9 million people so far, with a local weight-management pilot program recording an 87% success rate among participants.
Dzulkefly said the ministry has trained 898 community leaders nationwide under its Santuni Komuniti Minda Sejahtera, or K-MindSet, programme. This includes 51 leaders from Kuala Selangor, Petaling and Gombak trained this year.
The ministry aims to establish a K-MindSet support group in every district by 2030.
Those seeking clinical mental health support can turn to 1,116 health clinics, nine clinics offering psychosocial rehabilitation services, 72 hospitals providing psychiatric services and 40 Mentari centres nationwide.
The HEAL 15555 helpline operates daily from 8am to midnight.
