FOR Budget 2022, which will be presented in Parliament on Friday (Oct 29), the Galen Centre for Health & Social Policy calls upon the government to strengthen its commitment towards addressing noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) afflicting millions of Malaysians that are expected to have significantly worsened since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Before the emergence of Covid-19, Malaysia was already in the firm grip of a national health crisis, which grew larger, required more medical treatment, and claimed more lives each year. Cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and hypertension combined have already inflicted serious damage over the past decade on individuals, livelihoods and the economy.