Pehin Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Hj Suyoi Hj Osman

Bandar Seri Begawan - Minister of Health Pehin Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Hj Suyoi Hj Osman said that cardiovascular diseases is the leading medical problem in the Sultanate, with the most common being coronary artery disease which leads to heart attacks.

Last year alone, heart diseases accounted for 19.3 per cent of total deaths in the country.

The August 8, 2002 joint partnership between the Brunei government and Parkway Health to provide tertiary cardiac care in Brunei has led to patients being able to receive treatment locally. The tertiary cardiac care provided here includes coronary angiography, electrophysiological study and heart surgery.

Since the first coronary angiogram was performed on February 21, 2003, and the first heart surgery on May 10, 2003. more than 3,606 angiograms, 1,776 angioplasties arid 808 heart surgeries have-been performed at Gleneagles JPMC until Sept this year.

Speaking at the 2nd International Cardiac Conference Brunei Darussalam 2009 at the Empire Hotel, the health minister, who was the guest of honour, disclosed that in recognition of the standards of care provided by Gleneagles

JPMC, an increasing number of foreign patients are seeking tertiary cardiac care in Brunei.

Eleven per cent of patients treated at the medical centre are privately sponsored patients making Brunei a medical tourist destination.

"Notwithstanding the availability of advanced treatment in Brunei, we are also making resources available to contain cardiac diseases through better screening and risk factor management. The traditional approach of public health education for the prevention of heart diseases continues to be emphasised in our strategy to reduce heart disease prevalence," he said.

It is hoped that through primary prevention, early detection and prompt treatment, the number of heart disease cases will be significantly reduced. Doctors through their daily interactions with patients will have the opportunity to play their role conveying health messages to patients.

He noted that the theme this year, Early Detection and Contemporary Treatment, was "very fitting", adding, "There is a need to pay more attention to our hearts, have regular check-ups and maintain a consistent regime of exercise.

"In the past two decades, the cost of clinical care during and after an acute heart attack has increased rapidly and the number of patients with heart failure after a heart attack is also escalating.

"Thus, it is imperative to develop a new paradigm to screen for sub-clinical atherosclerosis and prevent its transition to deadly and costly clinical and symptomatic stages.

"If we want to tackle obesity, if we want to reduce the prevalence of smoking and other risk factors, then good health habits need to be ingrained early on. Health promotion is not just about what the Ministry of Health or other health agencies are doing, but it is about what happens at home, school and communities."

The benefits of health promotion do not disappear when young people enter their late teens or early 20s as they are important at every stage of life. Health problems caused by years of an lifestyle start to manifest itself in this period and the need for early detection becomes even more vital, he said.

Thus, early detection is a crucial element in the preventive agenda. In middle age, in particular, lifestyles that are simultaneously hectic and sedentary can lead to weight-gain, smoking, fitness loss and debilitating conditions such as back pain.

"We don't have all the answers as to how to get the message through to people about a healthy lifestyle, but we do know that we must persist with sustained public education. It is up to individuals to actually follow the prescribed advice, change their habits and diet for the better, as well as take medicines regularly," he said.

The minister concluded that no matter what medical and therapeutic advances are made, the fundamental message is that a major reduction in deaths and disability from heart diseases will come prevention not cure;-- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

Comments (1)

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written by Mohd Saiful , November 16, 2009

There are more people die of heart disease. That is true. Some of the permanent residents cant afford to get overseas treatment or JPMC as they cant get assistance from the Brunei government. It cost them too much money to get overseas treatment or JPMC. There is no facilities in Ripas. The only way they can do is to wait and die.

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