THE HEALTH | MAY-JUNE , 2022

ACCORDING to the Malaysian Diabetes Educators Society ’ s Diabetes Education Manual 2020 , seven million Malaysian adults are expected to develop diabetes by 2025 , an alarming trend to see diabetes prevalence rise to 31.3 per cent among adults aged 18 and up .

This number also indicates that there will be an increase in the number of diabetes caregivers , who are typically loved ones of the patients .

This World Health Day , the For Your Sweetheart Campaign collaborated with Persatuan Diabetes Malaysia ( PDM ) to produce a video called ‘ Diabetes Serious Meh ’ to highlight caregivers and the importance of self-care .

The video chronicles the journeys of several diabetic patients and the challenges that their caregivers faced along the way .

According to research , one out of every five adults in the country has diabetes , a long-term chronic illness that necessitates long-term caregiving . Therefore , with the rise in diabetes patients , the burden on caregivers should not be overlooked .

Dr Tan Ming Yeong , Diabetes Nurse Specialist who is also a certified diabetes educator , explained : “ Diabetes Mellitus is a life-long condition . Living with diabetes and its daily management often involves multiple physical and psychological challenges that can affect many aspects of the life of people with diabetes and their family and

Many caregivers have reported experiencing emotional stress , physical exhaustion , and even health problems because of a lack of time and energy for self-care , which leads to decreased exercise and unhealthy eating habits .

Dr Tan added : “ The demands of caregiving can be exhausting and overwhelming . The well-being of caregivers is important because the person with diabetes depends on them for care and support .

“ Helping caregivers manage stress , regain their sense of balance , joy , and hope in life will impact the quality of life of people with diabetes and clinical outcomes . The best thing caregivers can do for the person they are caring is to ensure their own physical and psychological wellbeing .”

For Your Sweetheart Campaign invites all Malaysians , particularly caregivers , to keep themselves and their loved ones healthy with a free Diabetes HbA1c Screening at participating clinics nationwide .

This noble initiative of creating public awareness of the link between diabetes and heart disease and the Free Diabetes Screening effort is supported by Boehringer Ingelheim in partnership with Malaysian Endocrine and Metabolic Society ( MEMS ), Malaysian Diabetes Educators Society ( MDES ) and Persatuan Diabetes Malaysia ( PDM ).

COLUMBIA Asia Group of hospitals launched its first dialysis centre on Apr 13 , 2022 , at Columbia Asia Hospital – Klang at Mutiara Bukit Raja , off Jalan Meru , to fulfil dialysis needs for the increasing number of end-stage renal failure patients .

“ From year to year , we can see the trend increasing . Despite the dialysis centres available here in Klang , it is still not enough to accommodate the

IHH Healthcare Berhad , a Singapore Exchange and Bursa Malaysia-listed healthcare operator , and investment company Heal Partners are leading a US $ 15 million series A round in medtech start-up Us2 . ai .

Through its investments in digital health companies like Us2 . ai , IHH Healthcare CEO Kelvin Loh says it wants to support and make cutting-edge clinical tools and care more accessible and affordable for patients .

“ This will enhance the delivery of care by doctors and will speed up the diagnosis of heart conditions for the public ,” he explained .

The round also has participation from existing investors like Sequoia India and EDBI – the corporate investment arm of Singapore ’ s Economic Development Board ( EDB ). Us2 . ai , a Singapore-based company , has developed AI-powered software that can fully automate complete echocardiography or heart ultrasound report .

The funds will be used to advance the company ’ s clinical implementation plans in the United States , Europe , and Asia . It will also be used to expand commercial activities with major pharmaceutical

increasing number of dialysis patients ,” said the hospital ’ s General Manager , Ms Wong Wai Mun .

“ With the opening of the new dialysis centre at Columbia Asia Hospital – Klang , we hope to fulfil the demands of dialysis services in Klang and surrounding areas .

Dr T Kalaiselvam Thevandran , a consultant internal medicine physician and nephrologist , oversees the dialysis companies , research labs , and imaging companies worldwide .

“ Us2 . ai will increase patient access to echocardiography by providing a unique AI solution that completely automates the reading of studies , with accuracy comparable to experts , yet over 30 times faster , leaving doctors in full control and with more time to spend with patients ,” said Carolyn Lam , co-founder of Us2 . ai .

Lam is also a professor at the Duke-National University of Singapore and a senior consultant cardiologist at the National Heart Centre .

Her co-founder James Hare adds that the company ’ s goal is to develop a “ comprehensive solution ” that “ exceeds the existing industry standard of partial automation , which requires manual intervention and limited measurements .”

Our software automatically processes full echocardiographic studies of 2D and Doppler images from any vendor , in less than two minutes , delivering complete echo reports , with fully explainable measurements , editable annotations and conclusions for every chamber of the heart ,” explained Hare who is also the CEO of Us2 . ai .

centre at Columbia Asia Hospital – Klang , while an experienced charge nurse and a team of nurses trained in renal care run the day-to-day operations .

In terms of technology , the dialysis machines at Columbia Asia Hospital – Klang are equipped with a Therapy Data Management System . This integrated system allows the medical team to document and monitor patient data .