Novartis Malaysia Serves B40 Communities by making life better 

Kuala Lumpur, October 21, 2022 – Novartis Malaysia is supporting a national health screening initiative via a community-based campaign addressing the growing prevalence of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). The campaign aimed to improve the health awareness of Malaysians, especially those from underserved areas, and empower them to adopt a healthy lifestyle. 

NCDs like cardiovascular diseases (CVD), diabetes, and cancer are the leading cause of death in Malaysia and straining the health system. This can be prevented with early interventions and health screening is an effective method. 

The 3-month campaign is conducted with the support of ProtectHealth and several local non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The team travels to several key locations throughout Malaysia to conduct FREE health screening and talks from medical professionals on several topics about general health awareness and healthy eating. 

The first nationwide screening at PPR Sri Stulang, Johor Bharu, gathered 294 people registered for the PeKa B40 screening, of which 35% were eligible for screening. In the upcoming weeks, the crew will travel to the Southern, Central and Northern Region of Malaysia to engage with the underserved communities.

Elwakil Mohamed, the Country President of Novartis Malaysia & Brunei, said:

“Data collected from the National Health Screening Initiative (NHSI) by the Ministry of Health revealed that of the total number of individuals aged above 40 who did the screening, 47% of them confirmed to have one or more NCD, while 46% of them had NCD risk factor. This is indeed worrying as many of them aren’t aware of their health. By fronting this campaign, Novartis is not only reimagining medicine to improve and extend people’s lives but also reimagining innovative care. Although health screening is indeed essential, it is equally important to conduct health awareness talks to educate and encourage the community to adopt a healthy lifestyle.”

Dr. Feisul Mustapha, Deputy Director of NCDs and an active advocate of NCDs Prevention and Control in Malaysia, said:

“The data from NHSI also showed that not only individuals over 40 are at risk or have NCDs, but even those below 40 were also confirmed to have one or more NCDs and are at risk. A comprehensive campaign like this that emphasizes screening and health awareness is crucial in helping Malaysians detect early signs of NCDs and receive proper treatment to lead a better quality of life.”

About Novartis
Novartis is reimagining medicine to improve and extend people’s lives. As a leading global medicines company, we use innovative science and digital technologies to create transformative treatments in areas of great medical need. In our quest to find new medicines, we consistently rank among the world’s top companies investing in research and development. Novartis products reach nearly 800 million people globally and we are finding innovative ways to expand access to our latest treatments. About 108,000 people of more than 140 nationalities work at Novartis around the world. Find out more at https://www.novartis.com.

About Novartis Malaysia
Novartis Malaysia has been present in Malaysia since 1971. Following the merger of Sandoz and Ciba-Geigy, Novartis was formed in 1996. In 2015, Kuala Lumpur was chosen as one of the five Novartis Global Service Centres which delivers a broad variety of services to the Novartis group of companies worldwide. Services offered by the Kuala Lumpur team include IT, People & Organization Services, FRA Operations, Procurement Services, Real Estate & Facilities Services and CONEXTS contributor by Clinical Research Malaysia in sponsored research with 16 research projects, leading the market of other healthcare players in this sponsored research space.

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