May-June. 2026 | The HEALTH
LOCAL NEWS
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Fighting the weight crisis
annually through healthcare expenditure, productivity losses and premature mortality.
Under the collaboration, both parties will support a care pathway integrating specialist consultations, dietetic support, lifestyle guidance and clinically appropriate medical therapy. The programme’ s first phase will be introduced at 10 KPJ hospitals, including Ampang Puteri Specialist Hospital, Johor Specialist Hospital, KPJ Penang Specialist Hospital and Tawakkal Specialist Hospital, with phased expansion planned over 12 months.
HEALTH ALLIANCE: KPJ Healthcare Berhad and Novo Nordisk Malaysia commemorating their partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding to support multidisciplinary, medically supervised obesity and metabolic care across selected KPJ hospitals nationwide
KPJ Healthcare Berhad and Novo Nordisk Malaysia have formalised a strategic collaboration to strengthen structured obesity and metabolic care in Malaysia amid rising obesity and diabetes rates nationwide.
The collaboration, sealed through a Memorandum of Understanding( MoU) on
Apr 14, 2026, will support the development of the KPJ Metabolic & Weight Management Programme, a hospital-based care model designed to provide specialist-led, medically supervised treatment for people living with obesity and related metabolic conditions.
The initiative comes as Malaysia continues to face a significant obesity burden.
Collaborative kidney action
Health Ministry data from screenings involving 1.2 million adults nationwide showed that one in two Malaysians are living with obesity or overweight.
The ministry has also reported that 15.6 per cent of Malaysian adults are living with diabetes, many of whom remain undiagnosed. Obesity is estimated to cost the country more than RM64 billion
RENAL FOCUS: Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad( centre) together with representatives from the NKF and the MSN during the World Kidney Day 2026 celebration, reaffirming Malaysia’ s commitment to strengthening chronic kidney disease prevention, awareness and access to care
Empowering pharmacy frontliners
PHARMACIST experts from across the Asia-Pacific region, together with P & G Health, have launched the region’ s first expert consensus guideline to help community pharmacists identify, assess and manage peripheral neuropathy( PN) in everyday pharmacy practice.
Titled“ Empowering Community Pharmacists- Expert Consensus Guidelines for the Effective Management of Peripheral Neuropathy with Neurotropic B Vitamins”, the guideline aims to standardise pharmacy-based screening, counselling and stepwise management of PN, addressing persistent gaps in underdiagnosis and delayed treatment.
According to Dr Yolanda R. Robles, PN is highly prevalent among diabetic patients across the region, affecting 58 per cent of patients in the Philippines and Indonesia, 54 per cent in Malaysia, 34 per cent in Thailand, 28 per cent in Singapore and 21 per cent in Australia.- The HEALTH
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MALAYSIA reaffirmed its commitment to tackling the growing burden of chronic kidney disease( CKD) during the World Kidney Day 2026 celebration jointly organised by the National Kidney Foundation of Malaysia( NKF) and the Malaysian Society of Nephrology( MSN) in Shah Alam on Apr 12.
The event was officiated by Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad and attended by Jamaliah Jamaluddin
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and Shah Alam City Council representative Mohd Firdaus Mokhtar.
Dzulkefly said CKD posed a growing challenge that required a comprehensive and coordinated national response. He said the Ministry of Health remained committed to strengthening prevention, early detection and patientcentred care while ensuring healthcare remained sustainable and accessible.
As part of efforts to improve access
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to treatment, NKF announced plans to establish four new Peritoneal Dialysis and CKD centres in 2026, along with four additional dialysis centres, particularly in underserved regions such as Sabah and Sarawak.
CKD remains a major public health concern in Malaysia, affecting an estimated one in seven adults. More than 50,000 Malaysians currently require renal replacement therapy, with thousands of new patients starting treatment annually. Diabetes and hypertension remain the leading causes, increasing pressure on the healthcare system.
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BETTER DETECTION: The new peripheral neuropathy guideline equips community pharmacists with practical screening tools, counselling frameworks and management approaches to support early detection and timely patient care across the Asia-Pacific region |