As the Secretariat of the Asia Pacific Cardiovascular Disease Alliance, ACCESS Health International is pleased to share highlights from a recent policy dialogue held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, aimed at strengthening cardiovascular care in the country. This event marked the Alliance’s first multi-sectoral engagement in Malaysia, bringing together representatives from government, academia, civil society, patient advocacy groups, healthcare professionals, and the private sector.
The policy dialogue, convened on 29 April 2025, focused on identifying locally relevant and sustainable solutions to the country’s growing cardiovascular disease burden. The discussions were anchored in a central question: What will it take to strengthen cardiovascular care in Malaysia?
The context is sobering. Approximately 2.3 million Malaysian adults are living with three or more major noncommunicable disease (NCD) risk factors, such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol. Four or more of these conditions affect a further 0.5 percent of the population. The economic impact is significant, with annual healthcare costs associated with NCDs reaching RM 64.2 billion.
Dr. Aizuniza Abdullah, Public Health Physician from the Disease Control Division at the Ministry of Health of Malaysia, provided a comprehensive overview of the current landscape and outlined six priority areas for action:
- Strengthening primary prevention to reduce the onset of disease
- Enhancing secondary prevention to improve the management of existing conditions
- Empowering communities to take greater ownership of their health
- Leveraging digital technology to improve access and quality of care
- Promoting collaboration across sectors and industries
- Ensuring long-term sustainable financing for healthcare
Participants underscored the importance of improving health literacy, implementing community-based models of care, and developing more robust systems for monitoring and data sharing. The underestimation of cardiovascular disease risk in Asian populations was also discussed, with calls for local validation of global risk assessment tools and greater attention to environmental and infectious disease factors.
One of the most pressing gaps identified was the shortage of cardiologists, particularly in the public sector. Addressing this challenge will require integrated models of care, expanded use of telemedicine, greater reliance on community health workers, and innovative financing approaches. Strengthening the enforcement of health policies and engaging civil society organizations were also recognized as critical to building a more responsive and equitable health system.
This dialogue represents an important step forward in promoting people-centered cardiovascular care in Malaysia. ACCESS Health International remains committed to supporting ongoing collaboration in Malaysia and across the Asia Pacific region to improve cardiovascular health outcomes and build more resilient health systems.