UNITED NATIONS, New York: Malaysia's Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa addressed the ongoing challenge of tuberculosis, commonly known as TB, during her recent speech at the UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting.
"Tuberculosis remains an important public health challenge in Malaysia.
"Malaysia is classified as an intermediate burden country, with a TB notification rate of 78 cases per 100,000 population and a mortality rate of 7.9 per 100,000 population in the year 2022," she remarked during the High-Level Meeting on the fight against tuberculosis on Friday.
To combat this, Dr Zaliha shared that Malaysia has devised a comprehensive National Strategic Plan to End TB for the period 2021-2030.
She said the plan also aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals and their ambitious target to eliminate TB by 2030.
"At its core, the National Strategic Plan aims to identify, diagnose, and treat TB cases promptly."
Dr Zaliha emphasised Malaysia's commitment to eradicating TB by ensuring universal access to high-quality diagnosis, timely treatment, and proper care.
In this pursuit, she said Malaysia has adopted a proactive approach, focusing on early diagnosis by reaching out to all vulnerable and at-risk populations.
"Leveraging modern tools and technology, Malaysia has scaled up its efforts, introducing a digital TB care module through the MySejahtera mobile application."
Malaysia reports about 15 per cent to 20 per cent of latent TB infections (LTBI) annually, which has a potential risk of becoming active TB.
Recognising this potential hazard, Dr Zaliha said Malaysia intends to expand LTBI screening and treatment to other high-risk groups.
"Healthcare workers have been trained to provide effective counselling to increase enrolment to TB Preventive Treatment."
In addressing the multifaceted nature of TB management, she said Malaysia acknowledges the pivotal role of public-private cooperation and the invaluable psychosocial support derived from communities.
She also noted that Malaysia has bolstered research efforts through various platforms, networks, and innovation, collaborating closely with a wide range of stakeholders.
"Malaysia is committed to implementing, monitoring, and evaluating the strategies proposed in NSP with full engagement and support of a wide range of stakeholders."
NST specialist writer Tharanya Arumugam is a 2023 fellow of the United Nations Reham Al-Farra Memorial Journalism Fellowship.
