Research Article
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Extending Diagnostics from Patients to Population
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death and ranks fourth in hospitalizations at Ministry of Health (MOH) hospitals in Malaysia(1). Patients with CVD in Malaysia are on average 10 years younger than those in developed countries(2). Increasing burden of CVD is primarily due to the rising prevalence rates of hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol(3,4). As of 2019, 3 out of every 10 adults in Malaysia had hypertension, 1 out of every 5 had diabetes, and 4 out of every 10 had high cholesterol(4). Access to critical cardiology services at a public tertiary level in Sarawak is severely hampered by the fact that there is only one cardiology centre…