KUALA LUMPUR: The Social Security Organisation (Perkeso) has detected a significant increase of workers diagnosed with non-communicable disease (NCD) last year compared to the year before.
Perkeso chairman Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal said there was an increase in the number of its contributors who experienced disability or death due to NCD by 37 per cent for the year 2022.
On average, he said 46 NCD cases were reported to Perkeso every day in 2021, but it jumped to 63 NCD cases in 2022.
Perkeso's Health Screening Programme (HSP) 3.0 this year as of October on its 70,000 contributors also detected 60.3 per cent suffering from obesity problems, 18.9 per cent from diabetes, 27.3 per cent with high blood pressure and 61.2 per cent facing high cholesterol problems.
"Therefore, this is a 'wake-up call' that should not be taken lightly because once it becomes too late, various other things will also be affected including the employment status which ultimately affects the household income aspect," he said in his speech at the Perkeso Fun and Ride 2023 held at Putrajaya today.
He also said the country's fiscal aspect will also face difficulties based on a joint study by the Health Ministry and the World Health Organisation (WHO) reporting that the cost of healthcare for NCD patients and lost productivity is projected to be approximately RM22.5 billion per year.
Accordingly, the chain of direct effects from this global phenomenon is expected to have a negative impact on the labour market, health infrastructure and fiscal management of the country, if no intervention is implemented, he said.
Subahan stressed on the importance of health investment to the workers with Malaysia expected to become an ageing nation by the year 2050.
"Interventions that are also 'health investments' do not actually require large capital, but leisure activities with the family at the weekend and organising fitness programmes at work, in addition to practicing a balanced and healthy diet are enough to reduce the risk of NCDs.
"Perkeso's Fun and Ride, and Activ@Work Challenge are one of the best activities for Malaysians to take advantage of, including workers and employers who indirectly contribute to the level of productivity in the country's labor sector," he said.
Also present were Human Resources Ministry acting secretary general Datuk Amran Ahmad, ministry's vice secretary general (Operations) Datuk Norison Ramli, and Perkeso chief executive officer Datuk Seri Dr Mohammed Azman Aziz Mohammed.
Over 8,000 participants joined the seventh Fun and Ride programme today.