SERIAN: Local residents, particularly senior citizens, are encouraged to go for health screening tests.
Based on the low numbers of individuals screened through the Skim Peduli Kesihatan for the B40 group (PeKa B40) in Serian district, local MP Datuk Seri Richard Riot Jaem stressed the importance of health screenings.
Out of 1225 targeted individuals, he said only 524 turned up for tests as of July 2022.
“From the figures given to me by the Serian division health office, I see the response from local community is quite inadequate.
“This shows that only 42.7 per cent of the targeted individuals turned up. For me, this is very bad,” he said when officiating at the national agenda of Healthy Malaysia (ANMS) at LePaPa square here today.
He urged members of the public to take advantage of the free health screening programmes organised by the Ministry of Health (MoH).
Riot, who is also the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy to East Asia, said the low percentage might be due to the fear of knowing one’s own health status.
“Get rid of the attitude of being afraid of your own health by participating in a health screening.
“If you are working, a health problem can affect your performance quality and attendance.
“Please undergo a health screening. It’s for our own good,” he said.
At the occasion, epidemiologist Dr Sharifah Norashikin Wan Ahmad represented the health officer of the Serian division.
She said the COVID-19 pandemic had shown that individuals with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) were at greater risk of more serious COVID-19 infections and faced greater risk of dying.
Therefore, she pointed out that after the country entered the endemic era, the government wanted to empower the community to be more attentive, knowledgeable and sensitive to their own health.
“Health is everyone’s responsibility. Everyone should have a at least little knowledge of your own (health status).
“Even after the pandemic, we need to realise that the COVID-19 virus will still living with us for a long period of time.
“We need to prepare for the possibility of a new pandemic. Because we know, this COVID-19 virus can mutate and so on. So we have to be well prepared all the time,” she said.
“Health screening should be done early and regularly. If we detect any diseases early, we can treat them early and prevent further complications to enjoy better quality of life.”
